An Unlikely Friendship
by riddikuluslymoony
Summary: What if Wickham tried to compromise Elizabeth but Darcy intervened, leading to an earlier understanding between the two?
1. Meeting Wickham, and Lydia's Idiocy

**Sorry if the flashbacks have made things seem disjointed! This is now officially Chapter 1 :)**

 _Two days before Jane goes to Netherfield (November 10th)_

Elizabeth had a headache. Her mother was wailing about something or other, and Lydia had been nagging her all morning to walk into Meryton with her. Apparently she wanted some new ribbon for her bonnet, because she and Kitty and Maria Lucas had met the most 'dashing' man from the Militia in town two days prior. It was not until Lydia burst into her room that she finally decided to give in, if only to gain some much needed respite from her mother's howls.

'Oh, Lizzy, Lizzy, _do_ say you'll come! He is the most handsome, charming man. I daresay you would like him very much too. Oh, please!'

'Very well,' Elizabeth said ungraciously, setting down her book. 'Just let me fetch my bonnet.'

Ten minutes later, they were walking down the lane into Meryton. Kitty was with them, and she and Lydia were giggling together over something or other. Elizabeth sighed.

'Lord, do not look so glum, Lizzy. We will never catch his attention then!'

'Who's attention might that be, Lydia?'

'Why, Mr Wickham of course!'

'Mr Wickham? Am I to understand that Mr Wickham is the handsome soldier you and Maria Lucas met?'

'Yes, Lizzy,' Lydia said impatiently. 'Lord, he is so handsome.'

'And so charming,' giggled Kitty. 'He spun the most outrageous tale of Mr Darcy!'

Elizabeth's ears pricked. 'Mr Darcy? Are they acquainted, then?'

'Oh, yes, from their childhood, I think.'

'Lordy, he made his sister sound so droll!' Lydia exclaimed.

'Whose sister?'

'Why, Mr Darcy's of course! Apparently she is very spoiled and haughty.'

'That is not very hard to believe,' Elizabeth said under her breath.

'What, Lizzy?'

'Nothing,' she said. 'Just that it will be interesting to meet him.'

After a further half hour, they met a pair of exceedingly handsome redcoats in the middle of Meryton. They bowed. 'Good afternoon, Miss Lydia, Miss Kitty,' said one of them politely. The other had fixed his gaze on Elizabeth and said, 'I do not believe we have had the pleasure of your acquaintance, my lady.'

Elizabeth blushed. 'Miss Elizabeth Bennet, sir.'

'Another Bennet!' he said smiling. 'Pray tell, are there any more of you hiding about the place?'

'I have a further two sisters, sir.'

'Indeed! Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mr Wickham, and this is my friend, Mr Denny.'

'It is a pleasure to meet you,' she said, curtsying.

'Allow us to escort you to your destination,' he said gallantly.

They thanked him, and walked on. Elizabeth found herself walking next to Mr Wickham. She was eager to hear his opinion of Mr Darcy, but could not ask without appearing rude, forward, and a little too eager to gossip. Her curiosity was soon satisfied, however.

'Your sisters tell me they have had the occasion to be in the society of a Mr Darcy,' he said.

'Yes, we have,' Elizabeth replied.

'And what do you think of him?'

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, but was unsure of why she did so. She detested him, did she not? 'He appears most disagreeable.'

'Yes, I am afraid so. I can account for it firsthand, having been connected with his family since infancy.'

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise, eager for more, and within a short five minutes he had spilled all of his dealings with Mr Darcy. Elizabeth was outraged.

'What a dastardly, uncaring man!' she cried. 'To deprive you of such a living – one can hardly think of it!'

Wickham shrugged. 'What is past is past. I loved his father dearly, I will not hold such a grudge against his son.'

'You are very forgiving,' Elizabeth said admiringly. 'I am not sure I would have ever forgiven him, had I been in your position.'

'I thank you, but I am sure you would have. You seem a most amiable lady.'

Elizabeth blushed. She was beginning to like Mr Wickham exceedingly.

* * *

November 13th

Mr Wickham, alone today without the usual presence of a certain Mr Denny, was strolling along the high street. He tipped his hat to a couple of the shopkeepers' daughters as he passed. They giggled. He smirked, eyeing them carefully. Perhaps one of them would do for this evening. Further along the road, he glimpsed one of the Miss Bennets, like him, alone today. The absence of her sister was striking, but Wickham pondered it only for a moment before approaching her.

'Good morning, Miss Lydia,' he said with a bow.

'Oh, hello Mr Wickham! You look very well this morning,' she giggled.

'As do you,' he replied gallantly. She smiled widely. 'And where is Miss Kitty today?' he inquired.

'Oh, she is just looking at some fabric. Lordy, you do not want _her_ company, do you? We shall be fine by ourselves.'

'Indeed.' He was surprised by her lack of propriety, but not disapproving, for obvious reasons. 'And how are your other sisters?'

At this, Lydia giggled. 'Oh, Lizzy is most exasperated. Mr Darcy persists in staring at her so. Why, at the Lucases, he could hardly take his eyes off her! I cannot think why, she is not _that_ pretty. Oh, how I pity her.'

'And why do you pity her? If she has caught the eye of a wealthy gentleman, is that not a good thing?'

Inwardly, his mind was whirring. So, Darcy had taken a liking to Elizabeth, had he? Well, Wickham thought he knew the perfect revenge, and this time he would be much more successful than he had been with Georgiana.

'Oh, it is not that! No, our other sister Jane was taken ill at Netherfield just last night. Lizzy went to tend her this morning and now she is stuck in that house with Mr Darcy and his stares all day!' Lydia chortled.

This jerked Wickham out of his thoughts. 'Indeed?' He hesitated convincingly for a moment. 'Miss Lydia … I fear there are … certain things … I must warn Miss Elizabeth about. Involving Mr Darcy. Is she to remain at Netherfield?'

'Oh, yes, but I daresay she will not be there all the time. She would grow such a temper! No, she is always traipsing about the country like a wild thing. I think she would go mad without her morning walk. Mother says it is a stupid, irresponsible thing to do, but Lizzy persists!'

Wickham smiled smugly. Elizabeth Bennet was going to find out _just_ how stupid and irresponsible it was to go traipsing around the countryside unchaperoned. 'I thank you, Miss Lydia. You have been most informative.' He bowed.

Lydia beamed, and as he hurried away, he rolled his eyes at her idiocy. Quickly banishing thoughts of Lydia from his mind, he set to work on the beginnings of a plan. He thought tomorrow morning would be a good time. Better sooner rather than later while the two Bennet sisters were still at Netherfield. That way, Darcy would see firsthand the product of Wickham's revenge. Yes, tomorrow morning would suit very well.


	2. The Character of Mr Wickham

**AN: My first Darcy/Elizabeth fanfic! Hopefully I'll be able to update weekly, but I'm making no promises! Reviews are welcome :)**

Mr Darcy heard a muffled shriek coming from the copse beyond, and hastened towards it. If something had happened to Elizabeth …

He did not know when she had simply become Elizabeth to him, but it was a recent development, perhaps due to the realisation of his feelings. He strode towards the tight knit group of trees, clenching and unclenching his fist anxiously. He had followed Elizabeth like a shadow. If she was in trouble, perhaps if he rescued her she would think more favourably of him.

He broke into a run as he heard her voice yell, 'Unhand me at once, sir!'

'Miss Elizabeth?!' He burst through the trees to find Elizabeth struggling in the arms of an unknown man. He watched in amazement as she promptly kneed the man in his most sensitive area. Darcy winced in sympathy as the man howled, but it served him right. 'Miss Elizabeth!'

Darcy put a hand on her shoulder and all but dragged her away from the man. He looked back as the man got to his feet, and stopped dead in his tracks as he recognised his foe. First Georgiana, and now Elizabeth! What more did this man want from him?

'WICKHAM!' he roared, releasing Elizabeth and advancing on the now ashen man. He peddled hastily backwards, but Darcy seized the front of his coat and shook him. 'How dare you put a hand on Miss Bennet?'

'I – I – was doing no such thing, sir! Elizabeth will tell you –'

' _Miss_ Elizabeth seemed most unwilling when I came upon you just now! Can you stoop no lower, Wickham? Have you not done enough?'

Wickham suddenly sneered. 'Elizabeth will never have you. She hates you, and loves me. She is a foolish girl, but quite the piece, I must say, I was quite looking forward to her feistiness in bed –'

'HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF A LADY IN THAT WAY? Apologise at once!' Mr Darcy slammed him against the tree, only to feel a gentle, cautious hand on his arm. He looked down to find Elizabeth looking up at him, worry in her eyes.

'Mr Darcy, I beg you, do not!'

He was almost beside himself in disbelief and anger. 'Did you not hear what he said about you?'

'Yes, I heard. Now please, Mr Darcy, let him go!'

'I will not! Not until this scoundrel has learnt his lesson.'

'Do you see now, Elizabeth?' Wickham gasped. 'What a man he is? Attacking an innocent bystander, for merely conversing with you –'

'You are by no means innocent!' Darcy shouted.

'Yes, I do see,' Elizabeth said quietly. Darcy's heart sank as Wickham shot him a triumphant smile. Surely she did not believe his lies? He had just set upon her, with no provocation! 'I see a kind man, whom I have misjudged most odiously.'

Just as quickly as his heart had shattered, Darcy's heart was sewn back together. He refrained from beaming at his love; instead he offered her a quiet smile, before turning to Wickham.

'Apologise to Miss Bennet this instant!'

'I will not,' Wickham spat, looking shocked and outraged at this turn of events. 'She deserved what she got, the little slut! Lusting after your wealth and title –'

'Miss Bennet is many things, however a fortune hunter is not one of them,' Mr Darcy replied, trying to control himself. 'Nor is she anywhere near as vulgar as the women you usually associate with.'

'Such as _dear_ Georgiana?' Wickham sneered. 'How I have missed her sweet –'

'DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK HER NAME!' Darcy roared, incensed. 'You are not worthy enough to even think about her!'

'Indeed? I have thought about her and Elizabeth very often. What if I were to keep one, and you the other? What say you?'

Mr Darcy flung him away with a bellow of rage, almost choking on the images of Wickham touching his sweet, doting Georgiana, and his darling Elizabeth.

Elizabeth put a hand on his arm again. 'Mr Darcy, please. Come away. You are giving him the satisfaction of getting to you.'

Darcy glanced at her briefly. 'I will, in one moment, Elizabeth.' He strode over to Wickham. 'Today's events go no further, and you will never lay a hand on Miss Elizabeth again or I will personally see to it that all your debts are overdue, and you shall be thrown into debtors' prison.'

'You would not dare,' Wickham spat.

'Watch me,' Darcy replied, his eyes flashing.

Wickham cowed, and bowed his head. 'Very well. You have my word,' he said ungratefully.

Darcy hurried back over to Elizabeth, and inclining his head, ushered her out of the copse. He waited until they were out of earshot of Wickham before offering her his arm. 'Allow me to escort you back to Netherfield, Miss Elizabeth.'

Elizabeth looked at him saucily, although he thought he saw a sliver of fear in her eyes. 'You do not need to pretend any longer, Mr Darcy.'

'Pretend?' he repeated, flabbergasted.

'That you are not disgusted with me, sir. I have been compromised, and by associating with me, you lower yourself. I will not force my company on you.' She turned away.

Darcy stared after her in astonishment. 'Elizabeth!' He hastened to her side, seizing her wrist and pulling her around to face him. 'I am not, nor could ever be, disgusted with you. It was not your fault! If anything it is mine! I should have warned you about that hateful, hateful man. Instead, I did nothing while he spread great falsehoods of our previous dealings! You have not been compromised in my eyes. In fact, I confess I felt rather sorry for the man when you kicked him! Until, at least, I saw who he was! Pray tell me where you learnt such a thing!'

'My father,' Elizabeth replied at last.

'Well, I must congratulate him on raising an excellent daughter next time I see him.' He glanced at Elizabeth to find her pale and unmoving. 'Elizabeth? Are you well?' He moved to clasp her hands in his. 'Wickham did no more than kiss you, did he?'

'He did not even manage that, sir,' Elizabeth admitted.

Darcy smiled incredulously. 'And you thought yourself compromised! Silly girl,' he said, raising her hands to his lips and planting an affectionate kiss on each of them. He noticed that while she seemed to enjoy his touch, she withdrew more into herself as he kissed her. 'Oh, Elizabeth, I am so sorry. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, especially after what has just occurred –'

'I am not uncomfortable, exactly,' she replied after a moment's pause. 'Merely confused, sir. You are behaving so differently! I do not believe I saw you smile before today.'

'Indeed? Well I shall endeavour to smile as often as I may, then. But only in your company, as I cannot afford to lose my reputation as the country's most disagreeable gentleman.' He chuckled. To his surprise, Elizabeth blushed. 'I am afraid I may have had a hand in that, sir.'

'All is forgiven, Elizabeth,' he replied. 'In fact, I confess it has been rather a blessing. I have not had to contend with a mass of fortune hunting mothers as I usually do.'

'Oh, I am so ashamed!' She covered her face with her hands. 'I believed Wickham over you! Oh, foolish, foolish pride!'

'Elizabeth, it is not your fault. Wickham is very accomplished in his twisted lies and flattery. And you are exactly the type of woman he desires.'

Elizabeth looked hurt, and affronted. 'If by that you mean to say –'

'No! I meant – if I may say so, you are lively, and passionate, and beautiful. Wickham values those things above all else, even sometimes, surprisingly, over money.'

Elizabeth blushed. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but appeared to think better of it. 'If it is not impertinent to ask, sir, who is Georgiana?'

'My sister,' Darcy said heavily.

'Oh! Good God! I hope he did not –'

'No, but it was a close thing. I shall tell you the whole sorry tale later, but first, I think we should get you back to Netherfield. You look cold, and must be hungry.'

'Very well, Mr Darcy. I thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about her.' She took his offered arm.

'I trust you completely, Elizabeth. You are the most sensible woman of my acquaintance.'

'Well, that is not hard, if all the women you know are akin to Miss Bingley,' Elizabeth retorted. She blushed suddenly, as though afraid she had overstepped the mark, but he tilted his head back and laughed.

'I confess, to my displeasure, that most of the ladies of the Ton are like that. The fortune hunting ones, in any case.'

Elizabeth had begun to shiver, so he divested himself of his overcoat quickly, and helped her into it, wrapping it around her firmly. She smiled uncertainly up at him, and his heart leapt at the thought that slowly but surely, she was coming around to him.

'Let us make haste,' Mr Darcy said, offering her his arm once more. Elizabeth tucked her delicate hand into the crook of his elbow. His arm tingled where she held him, and he suppressed a moan of longing. He hesitated before saying, 'If I may be so presumptuous, might I ask my valet to prepare a meal in your sister's rooms? That way I can tell you about Georgiana in private, but with a trustworthy chaperone. It would also help you escape the sneers of Miss Bingley, although I must say you have handled her most admirably these past few days.'

Elizabeth smiled. 'You may. And yes, she seems to have it out for me most viciously.'

'I think that may be my doing,' Darcy said apologetically.

Elizabeth arched a brow in question. 'How so, sir?'

'I believe she thinks that I have a preference for you.'

Elizabeth stared at him. 'But what would lead her to think that?'

'I may have made a comment about fine eyes in a pretty face, and how much more enjoyable they make an evening. I think she assumed I was talking about her, and she was most displeased when I informed her it was in fact _you_ I was thinking of.'

Elizabeth blushed. 'I can hardly believe it, sir. I thought I was merely tolerable.' She placed a slight inflection on those last few words, and Darcy paled as he realised why.

'Elizabeth – Miss Elizabeth, I did not mean anything I uttered at the Meryton ball. I was in a most disagreeable mood, and I would have stayed at Netherfield to brood if it had not been for my duty. I had no inclination to dance, and not even an angel could have tempted me that evening.'

Elizabeth flushed even deeper. 'Oh, this is too much! I had sworn to hate you since that evening, and all because you wounded my vanity!'

Mr Darcy swallowed. 'You do not, do you?'

Elizabeth blinked uncomprehendingly before laughing. 'Oh! Yes, most handsomely, until today. But I think that is because you have only shown me your true self today, have you not?'

'Yes,' was all Darcy replied. Elizabeth had hated him until this morning! And all the while he had been in love with her! Blast!

'Why do you present a front to the world, I wonder?' she said teasingly. 'The real Mr Darcy is much more agreeable.'

Mr Darcy twitched uncomfortably. He did not want to explain to Elizabeth that he was shy, and it was only when he was comfortable with a person that he truly let them see him. 'Well, I shall find out one of these days, you may be sure,' she said brightly.

Darcy blinked in surprise, but on second thought he found it very likely. Mr Hurst was correct. Elizabeth Bennet was and always had been an enigma.


	3. The Truth About Georgiana Darcy

**I had some spare time today, so this is a quicker update than expected! I might have the next couple of chapters up by tomorrow or the next day as well. Enjoy :)**

Jane Bennet was sitting up in bed and looking much healthier. Darcy bowed, and watched as Elizabeth went to her immediately, clasping her hands. 'Oh, Jane, how are you feeling?'

Darcy was astounded that just after having been assaulted, her first concern was for her sister.

'Better, thank you Lizzy.' Jane's serene eyes widened as she took in Elizabeth's torn dress and wild appearance. 'But what has happened to you, Lizzy?'

Elizabeth looked down. 'It seems we have been mistaken in our felicity to Mr Wickham.'

'Mr Wickham? Lizzy, what do you – oh, Lizzy, he did not!'

'No, Jane, but it was a close thing. Mr Darcy came upon us and was able to put a stop to it.' Here, she turned to smile at him.

His lips twitched. 'I assure you, Miss Bennet, that Miss Elizabeth was quite capable of putting a stop to it herself.'

'Oh, Lizzy!' Jane exclaimed, looking torn between amusement and consternation.

'Do not worry, Jane, he will recover.'

Jane smiled, satisfied. Darcy was again surprised at her will and ease to believe the best of everyone and treat even those unworthy of it with compassion.

'Miss Bennet,' he addressed her now. 'Would you mind if I asked for a light tea to be brought to your rooms? I have some things of great importance to discuss with Miss Elizabeth concerning Mr Wickham.'

Jane glanced at Elizabeth to make certain she was comfortable with this before assenting. Darcy rang for a maid and when she appeared instructed her to prepare a light meal. 'Oh, and Betty? Please use the utmost discretion. I would not like Miss Bingley to become aware of this.'

Betty smirked. 'Definitely not, sir. You have my word.'

As Darcy turned back to the two women, he noticed Elizabeth was gazing at him in some surprise. Guessing correctly that she was surprised at the familiarity in which he had addressed the maid, he said, 'A true Master is not above his servants.'

Elizabeth flushed and did not respond. She was probably surprised that he even knew the maid's name when she did not belong to his household. He silently vowed from now on to try and improve her opinion of him to the best of his ability.

'Why should Miss Bingley not be notified?' Jane asked, puzzled.

'Because I doubt she would be very pleased,' Darcy said, exchanging a meaningful look with Elizabeth. 'And besides, I do not wish Georgiana's private affairs to be spread about the Ton.'

'You are too harsh on her, Mr Darcy. Why, you sound almost like Lizzy! Caroline is a lovely woman.'

Darcy was silent, unable to think of anything to say that would not be insulting Miss Bingley further.

'Surely she shall miss you and Lizzy when they take tea?' Jane continued.

'I doubt it. She will assume Miss Elizabeth is with you, and would not care to retrieve her. As for me, she will presume I am out surveying the estate or riding, as I am want to do.'

'Why would she not want Lizzy to take tea with her?' Jane asked, bemused.

Darcy raised his eyebrows slightly. Surely she had noticed how much Caroline disliked Elizabeth? Elizabeth smiled wryly. 'She does not like me, Jane.'

'Nonsense. I am sure this is all a misunderstanding. She is a most gracious hostess.'

'Perhaps you are right,' Elizabeth said, but Darcy knew she was only humouring her.

There was a knock at the door and Darcy stood to allow Betty to enter the room with a set of tea things and a tray of small sandwiches and cakes. She left briefly and returned with a small pot of broth for Jane. She arranged it all on the little table in the small adjoining sitting room. 'Thank you, Betty,' Darcy said. 'That will be all.'

She left with a curtsy. Elizabeth procured her sister a small tray with some light broth and a couple of sandwiches and tea in case she was feeling up to something more substantial before following Darcy into the sitting room. He left the door to Jane's bedchamber open to allow for some propriety. 'Will you tell me what happened with Georgiana?' she asked as they sat down.

Darcy smiled slightly at her eager curiosity. 'You shall have to wait until we have eaten, I am afraid. I confess I am rather hungry.'

Elizabeth looked disappointed for a moment before pouring them both some tea and selecting a couple of sandwiches. He made note of her choices: ham, and cucumber. He mused for a moment on how homely this was. He could almost imagine that this was a regular occurrence between them as a married couple at Pemberley. Suddenly remembering that she herself had confessed to disliking him immensely until today, he banished the thought from his mind.

'I wish to apologise, Mr Darcy,' she said, startling him.

'For what?' he asked, confused.

She blushed. 'I fear I may have spoken out of turn this morning. I did not mean to say so much. Certain thoughts should be kept to oneself.'

'I agree, Miss Elizabeth. However, I must confess that I am glad you said what you did, for it has allowed me to reflect on my behaviour towards you and the members of society here. I fear it must be _I_ apologising to _you_. Rest assured I will try and be more civil from now on.'

'Oh,' she said, but seemed unable to say anything else.

He could not help smiling and teasing her a little. 'Do my eyes deceive me, or is the great Elizabeth Bennet lost for words?'

She flushed. 'Do not worry, sir, it shall not occur often.'

He smiled, setting aside his finished plate. 'Perhaps now is the time to tell you of what occurred this summer between my sister and Mr Wickham. I hope you will not think too badly of her when I have finished. I know I can count on your utmost discretion.'

Elizabeth nodded solemnly. Darcy was glad she could be serious when the occasion asked for it. In truth, now that she knew of Wickham's character firsthand, he did not need to divulge the events of Ramsgate to her. However, he had not confided in anyone, not even Bingley, and it would be a weight off his chest to have told someone. For some unknown reason, he trusted Elizabeth implicitly.

Once he had confessed the whole sordid, sorry tale, Elizabeth had tears in her eyes. 'Miss Elizabeth, do not – I did not mean to make you cry.'

'I have treated you most abominably! And all because of that evil man! Oh, poor Miss Darcy!' she sobbed.

'Miss Elizabeth,' he said, at a loss of what to do. He got up and strode around the table to her. 'Please –'

Before he could clasp her hands in his, she had risen to her feet and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hold. He swayed on the spot for a moment, before returning the embrace, pressing her closer. She wept into his cravat, and he stroked her soft, unruly curls soothingly, his other hand easing her ever closer.

'Shh, Elizabeth,' he whispered softly. 'All is well. You have not treated me abominably; I have enjoyed sparring with you. I would miss it most acutely if you were not impertinent.'

She let out a choked laugh against him and he tightened his hold on her.

'You are the most delightful woman I have ever met, Elizabeth. I will not let you berate yourself.'

She sniffed. 'You do not mean that, but I thank you for saying so.'

Darcy was flabbergasted. He released her and stared at her as she subtly wiped her eyes. How did she not see how perfectly lovely she was? Had she no idea of his admiration for her?

'Thank you for trusting me with this. I can assure you of my silence. Forgive me, but I must attend to Jane.' She curtsied.

This abrupt dismissal confused him. 'Of course,' he replied automatically, bowing. He watched her enter her sister's chambers and close the door behind her, wondering what on earth he had done.

 **Hope you liked it! More to come soon.**


	4. Elizabeth's Findings

**Sillimaure: Thank you for clearing that up! It's been a while since I've read it, in fact I should probably be re-reading it since I'm writing this. I'll just pretend ;)**

 **LMFG: your request will take the form of Chapter 6 ;)**

 **42isIndeedTheAnswer: I'm sorry if Chapter 3 wasn't great, I've noticed that when I dislike a character I find it hard to write about them (one of my shortcomings as a writer)**

 **I apologise if bits don't make sense … just ask and I'll try and clear them up! I'm quite scatty with my writing – quite often I write random middle bits of the story before the beginning and end so I have to work to make things pan out the way they should … That's what happened with this piece; I have chapters 8, 9, 10, and 11 written (so there will be a large update sometime next week) but have to fill in the gaps before and after!**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but it will be soon!**

 **Thank you again to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing this!**

Elizabeth Bennet spent the next couple of days walking through Netherfield Park with Mr Darcy in the mornings and spending her afternoons tending Jane. She wondered at his accompanying her everywhere. Was he merely protecting her from Wickham? Did he believe he would return and try again? Or was he simply there for her company? She thought that unlikely, for he did not speak often, and only about mundane things such as the weather when he did. He had not spoken to her excessively since the day Wickham had been in the woods and he had told her of the events at Ramsgate. In fact, that was the most she had ever heard him speak in one day. She was quite disappointed, for he had proved to be an apt conversationalist. Instead, he had reverted to his quiet, and, if she should be as unwise to believe Mr Wickham, proud ways.

Perhaps he is shy, Elizabeth thought. But how unusual! Surely he must have to speak with many people, being the Master of such a large estate. Or perhaps he has realised that I am a fallen woman, even though Wickham did nothing, she thought with no little worry. But then why would he persist in walking out with me? Elizabeth could not understand it. Every time she thought she comprehended his character, he turned around and did something that made her re-evaluate her opinions all over again. It was most exasperating.

She had not forgotten the way he had looked at her that day, and the way he had held her when she had cried over Georgiana. He had been more tender than she had ever thought possible, and kind to her even though she had been nothing but cruel to him in the past. She had been embarrassed by the feelings welling in her breast. Why, she had claimed to hate him not two hours prior!

She had felt trapped and suffocated, and had fled the scene eagerly to go to Jane. They had had a long talk about her feelings, but Jane was so willing to think the best of everyone that she had assured her that she must have liked him from the beginning. Elizabeth shook her head. Jane just did not _understand_. Everything was not always fine and dandy with the world, and she could not have liked Fitzwilliam Darcy from their first acquaintance … could she? It was simply incomprehensible, was it not?

Elizabeth let out an exasperated huff of annoyance.

'I hope it is not my company you find lacking, Miss Elizabeth,' said an amused voice.

She turned to look up at Mr Darcy. 'No. But if you wish to improve, I daresay you could speak more.'

'And what would you like me to say?' he asked, smiling.

'Oh, I do not know,' Elizabeth said huffily. 'Anything but commenting on the weather!'

To her mingled surprise and consternation, small spots of colour appeared on his cheekbones and he swallowed convulsively.

'I am sorry,' she said hastily. 'I am not in the best mood at present.'

'I daresay you are right,' he replied slowly.

'About my being in a foul mood?' she snapped.

'No … about my company.' He looked at her strangely.

'What?' she demanded.

He flushed. 'I – er – if I may ask – are you …?'

'Am I what?'

His colour deepened. 'It – it happens to – to ladies. Georgiana also –'

Finally comprehending what he was getting at, she laughed. 'No! God, no. I am merely cross with Jane. An unusual occurrence, I assure you.'

'Oh.' He looked relieved. 'What has happened, if I may ask?'

Elizabeth sighed. 'Oh, nothing really. Jane is just always so convinced that the world and everything and everyone in it is exceptionally good.'

'I see,' he said. 'Bingley is much the same.'

'Yes, they are made for each other. So it is just as well they are besotted!'

Darcy seemed surprised. 'Your sister – she cares for him?'

'Oh, yes. Most deeply, I daresay. Why?'

Darcy hesitated. 'I would not see Bingley enter a loveless marriage,' he said at last.

'Well, what does it matter what you or I think?' Elizabeth demanded. 'Should it not be their choice?'

He eyed her warily. 'I suppose so. However, I would not like to think of him in a marriage without mutual affection.'

Elizabeth did not know whether she should be annoyed or admire his loyalty to his friend. 'At the expense of my sister?'

'At the expense of no one, if his affections are returned,' Darcy answered coolly. 'There can be no further objections if this is true.'

'Well, it is,' Elizabeth said, softening slightly.

'I did not see it,' he said wonderingly.

'No. Jane is shy. Much like you, I daresay.'

He flushed, and they parted ways upon returning to the house; Elizabeth to tend her sister, and Darcy to discuss some business matters with Bingley.

* * *

Elizabeth was more cheerful than she had been for the past few days as she dressed for dinner. Jane was feeling well enough to dine with them today, and Elizabeth was relieved. She had hated being stuck by herself with Caroline's sneers.

They made their way down to the sitting room together and were greeted by an ecstatic Mr Bingley, who was overjoyed that his darling Jane was recovering. He immediately leapt up to escort her to dinner, leaving Darcy to escort both Elizabeth and Miss Bingley with the Hursts following close behind.

Upon being seated, Elizabeth was reluctant to find that she had been placed opposite Miss Bingley, who was seated next to Mr Darcy. At least Jane was next to her; however, Mr Bingley had mysteriously been placed at the other end of the table from Jane. Elizabeth could only suspect Caroline's interference.

As the first course was brought out, talk turned to Darcy's Derbyshire estate.

'You, of course, have never seen Pemberley, Eliza. Oh, it is beautiful and so fashionable. The new Mrs Darcy, whomever she may be, will be very lucky indeed.'

'I should have thought that the woman in question would be lucky to gain Mr Darcy himself, rather than his estate. Do you not think so, Miss Bingley?'

Caroline sniffed. 'Why, Eliza, are you suggesting that you have an understanding with the gentleman?'

Elizabeth smiled. 'No, Miss Bingley. I was merely suggesting that Mr Darcy might enjoy affection in his marriage.'

Bingley choked. Jane was too polite to smile, and so bit her lip. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw Darcy's lips twitch.

Caroline missed the point entirely. 'And indeed he shall! It shall be a most welcome event when he announces his engagement to the lady.' She gave Darcy a sly look. He ignored it and took a rather obvious gulp of wine.

Elizabeth returned to her food, smirking to herself.

After supper had finished, the gentlemen opted to forgo the usual separation of the sexes, Mir Bingley citing that as they were such a small party, the usual custom was not necessary. Caroline at once took a seat next to Mr Darcy on a small love-seat. Elizabeth hid a smirk and sat down on a sofa with Jane.

'Shall we not have some music?' Caroline asked. 'Lousia, be a dear and play something for us.'

After a pointed look at her sister, Mrs Hurst rose and went to the pianoforte. Soon the small sitting room was filled with a pleasant melody. Mrs Hurst played only two pieces before leaving the pianoforte and returning to her seat next to her husband, who was already dozing in his place.

'Will you not honour us with a performance?' Darcy asked Elizabeth.

'My talent, I fear, is far beneath that of which you are used to,' she replied, alarmed at his request.

'Oblige me,' he said with a quiet smile.

Elizabeth found that she could not refuse him when he was looking at her like that. Bingley immediately took her vacated seat next to Jane as she sat at the pianoforte and began a piece she knew by heart. She found it easier to listen to the conversation in the room that way.

'Oh, let us dance!' Caroline said, looking suggestively at Mr Darcy.

He managed a stiff smile. 'You may dance if you wish, Miss Bingley. I, however, prefer to sit and listen. Much more enjoyment can be taken from the performance that way.'

'Oh, of course you are right, Mr Darcy. It was silly of me to suggest it!'

Elizabeth giggled to herself. When she left the pianoforte, Caroline immediately left her spot next to Mr Darcy to take a turn herself, perhaps to prove herself equal or above Elizabeth's performance. This was an unwise move on her part, for it left Elizabeth to sit in the only empty seat – the one Caroline had just vacated, next to Mr Darcy.

'That was a lovely performance,' he said.

She raised her eyebrows. 'I thank you.'

They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, listening to Caroline's playing. 'If I had a mind to enrage Miss Bingley, I would ask you to dance,' he said quietly.

She turned to look at him. He was smirking. 'I take it that you are not of a mind to enrage Miss Bingley?'

'Not today,' he admitted. 'But only because I am unsure of your response, and Miss Bingley is already quite furious with me.'

'Indeed? Why, may I ask?'

'You may, but I shall not answer,' he replied, smiling slightly.

As Elizabeth turned away, she pondered the difference between engaging in an argument with Mr Darcy and teasing each other in a friend-like manner. She decided that the new, softer Mr Darcy was much more agreeable, but resolved to think no more on the subject. The gentleman was far above her, and even had he not witnessed her and Wickham on that dreadful morning, she would still be of no consideration to him as a marriage partner.

Mr Darcy, however, had other ideas.

 **Next chapter: Mrs Bennet, Kitty & Lydia descend on Netherfield …**


	5. Mrs Bennet's Ecstasy

**I have two new chapters up for you lovely people today :)**

 **If anyone is confused about the timeline, it's:**

 **Ch. 1: 2 days after Jane was taken ill at Netherfield, Elizabeth is residing there with her. (November 14th)**

 **Ch. 2: Still 2 days after Jane was taken ill (November 14th)**

 **Ch. 3: 3 days BEFORE Jane goes to Netherfield (November 9th)**

 **Ch. 4: 4 days after Jane was taken ill (she is now recovering) (November 16th)**

 **Ch. 5 (this chapter): 5 days after Jane was taken ill (consistent to the timeline of the book for Jane and Lizzy leaving Netherfield) (November 17th)**

 **I know that there was a lot less time in the book between Jane being taken ill Mrs Bennet coming to visit her and Elizabeth, but for the purpose of my story I have changed that – the happy merits of fan fiction!**

 **MGM: I meant that Lydia thought Wickham's opinion of Georgiana was droll. I probably could have worded that better, so I apologise for any confusion!**

 **alix33: Thanks! I've corrected those mistakes now. That's what comes of writing and only reading it over once before posting it!**

 **42isIndeedTheAnswer: Oops! My mistake :P**

Elizabeth entered the breakfast parlour the next morning to find only Mr Darcy seated there. He promptly set aside his newspaper and stood, bowing. 'Miss Elizabeth.' He fixed her with a wide smile.

Elizabeth, still unused to the sight of him smiling, and amazed that such a happy one was to be directed at _her_ , remained quite frozen in place. It was not until Caroline bumped into her upon entering the parlour a moment later that she recovered her wits.

'Oh, it is just like you, Eliza, to be daydreaming at such a moment! Do you not think so, Mr Darcy?' Caroline asked as she sat down beside him.

He bowed automatically. 'Perhaps. But I have always observed that those who have perchance to daydream are generally uncommonly intelligent.'

'I see.' Caroline fell silent, and Elizabeth, as a change from the norm, seated herself opposite Mr Darcy.

'And how is your sister this morning?' he asked as she selected some toast and spread liberal amounts of marmalade upon it.

'Almost recovered, thank you,' Elizabeth said with a small smile. 'She shall be joining us for breakfast this morning.'

'Oh, that is wonderful news!' Caroline said with more enthusiasm than the occasion warranted. 'I daresay you will soon be leaving for Longbourn, then?'

Elizabeth happened to meet Mr Darcy's eyes at that moment, and they exchanged an amused glance. 'Perhaps tomorrow, or the next day,' Elizabeth answered, looking back at Caroline.

Caroline looked pleased. Jane and Mr Bingley appeared in the doorway, followed by the Hursts. They greeted the three in the parlour and had just sat down when a footman appeared and announced, 'Mrs Bennet, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia of Longbourn.'

Elizabeth half-closed her eyes in exasperation. Of course her mother could not bring herself to stay away while there were single men living under the same roof as her daughters for a week. She watched with no little apprehension as her mother and two younger sisters appeared in the parlour. 'Oh, Jane!' Mrs Bennet said immediately. 'You are much recovered then? Oh, I am glad. We must be sure to thank Mr Bingley for his fine hospitality. To think of my daughters staying in such a grand house!'

Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley had risen automatically upon their arrival. Mr Darcy promptly frowned at these words, but Bingley bowed courteously. 'It was my pleasure to host Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, ma'am. I hope you shall find Miss Bennet much recovered and almost as good as new.'

'Oh, yes, I have just spoken to the physician, and he says she is quite well. But perhaps she ought to stay a day or two more, just to make sure there is no relapse?'

Elizabeth was mortified at her mother's obvious attempts to grant Jane more time with Mr Bingley. 'I think it best we leave today, mother,' she said, rising. 'We have imposed ourselves on Mr Bingley's hospitality long enough.'

'Oh, hush, Lizzy. You do not know what is best for your sister. Now, I propose –'

'Madam,' said Mr Darcy's deep tones. 'If I may interrupt, Miss Elizabeth has tended for her sister admirably, and I am quite sure she alone knows the full extent of Miss Bennet's wellbeing.'

Elizabeth flushed. Was he simply sticking up for her? Or did he, like Miss Bingley, want her to leave?

Mrs Bennet looked flustered upon being addressed by Mr Darcy. 'Oh. Well, that may be true, but Lizzy is too often expressing her opinion when it is not needed. I am sure you do not wish to hear it.'

'On the contrary, madam,' he said coldly. 'I would be glad to hear Miss Elizabeth's opinion on many subjects.'

Elizabeth's heart lifted. Mrs Bennet was stunned for a moment, but then fanned herself excitedly. Here was a man who might finally take Lizzy off her hands, and he was a rich one at that! It was a shame he was so disagreeable, but it could not be helped. 'Oh, I daresay you do, Mr Darcy. It is unfortunate that she is no great beauty, and therefore must rely on her wits to attract a husband.'

'Mamma!' Elizabeth cried as Mr Darcy's look blackened.

'I am only speaking the truth, Lizzy, as you well know. Now, Jane on the other hand –'

'Mamma!' Elizabeth exclaimed again. 'Let us go. I am sure Papa will be wondering where we all are.'

'Oh, do not get me started on your father, child! Unfeeling man! He has no sympathy whatsoever for my poor nerves!'/

Elizabeth flushed crimson in mortification and would not look at any of the table.

For once, Lydia proved of some use, as she promptly addressed Mr Bingley. 'Oh, if we must go, I must say that I hope you will keep your promise of a ball, Mr Bingley. The whole neighbourhood shall be disappointed if you do not!'

Mr Bingley managed a smile. 'Indeed, I have not forgotten. I was simply waiting until Miss Bennet had sufficiently recovered. And you, Miss Lydia, may name the date of the ball now your sister is well.'

Caroline frowned, but Mrs Bennet and Lydia were ecstatic.

'Oh!' she said, delighted. 'Well, how about a week Tuesday? Would that be agreeable?' When Mr Bingley assured her it would, she said, 'And after _that_ , I shall try and persuade Colonel Forster to have a ball. But I daresay he will not be as kind as _you_ in letting me choose the date.'

Caroline looked down her nose in disgust at Lydia's display, and Elizabeth thought it about time they took their leave. 'Mamma, we must go.'

'But Jane –'

'Jane is well enough now. Mamma, I entreat you!'

'Oh, very well, you ungrateful child,' Mrs Bennet said crossly. 'You are so like your father. Neither of you have any consideration for my poor nerves!'

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and took Jane's arm as she too rose from her seat. Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy followed them out of the parlour, quickly joined by Caroline as she noticed Mr Darcy's eyes on the back of Elizabeth's head as she walked with Jane.

Elizabeth hurried her mother down Netherfield's front steps, eager to get away from the place. Whatever Mr Darcy might have been beginning to feel for her had surely disintegrated at the performance her mother and Lydia had exhibited just now. Indeed, she desired nothing more than to get away from his complex character and his handsome face and beguiling eyes.

She could not know that at that very moment Darcy himself was thinking that he must love her very much indeed in order to have fallen for her despite her mother and younger sisters' actions. In fact, he hardly noticed Mrs Bennet and Lydia jabbering away again to Bingley. His attention was instead focused upon Elizabeth's distressed mien. Even whilst upset, she was still so very lovely. He smiled slightly as she turned away from her mother in exasperation. Caroline noticed his staring and immediately slipped her arm through his, clutching his elbow in a vice-like grip. He winced.

Eventually, Mrs Bennet desisted with her endless prattle and ascended into the waiting carriage, closely followed by Kitty and Lydia. Mr Bingley promptly handed 'his angel' up into the carriage, and Mr Darcy hastened to do the same with Elizabeth. Prying Caroline's hand from his arm, he almost dashed down the steps and took her hand before she could enter the carriage. She looked at him in some surprise. His breath caught. Their faces were closer than they had ever been, and he could see an adorable dusting of freckles across her nose.

'Miss Elizabeth,' he said, slightly breathlessly. 'I –' He hesitated. There were a dozen things he would like to say to her but could not with an audience. That he loved her, that she was beautiful despite whatever her mother said to the contrary, that he would spend his life valuing her opinions on everything under the sun. Instead, he settled for a lingering kiss on the back of her hand, which he hoped conveyed at least half the things he wished to say.

He looked into her eyes once more before handing her into the carriage. A light blush had spread across her cheeks. He smiled. She looked at him inquiringly, and he realised he had not said anything. 'I hope to see you soon,' he said without thinking.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. He squeezed her hand, and handed her into the carriage, praying he was not blushing. 'Goodbye, Mr Darcy.'

He stared down the lane long after the carriage had disappeared from view.


	6. Mr Collins and His Estimable Patroness

**I'm pleased to say that on Monday/Tuesday (once I am finished editing them) there will be a mega update of another five chapters for you to read :)**

 **LMFG: Yes, Elizabeth ruined his fun, and he thinks she will spread his true nature about Meryton, unlike Darcy. I should have made that clearer!**

 **tarlily: Jane never seemed to want to believe ill of Caroline, even when she sent her that letter about Bingley and Georgiana … sometimes I think she thinks that Lizzy sees problems when they are not there, or maybe she just wants to get along with her future sister in law ;) ;)**

 **Thank you to all of you who have left reviews! They are most helpful, and encourage me to keep going with this story :)**

 **This is another short chapter, I'm afraid, but don't worry! The next few are all quite long!**

November 18th

Longbourn was currently under siege, as Elizabeth so eloquently put it to Jane that morning. Upon learning that their distant cousin (who was to inherit Longbourn under the entail) would be coming to stay for two weeks, their mother had promptly collapsed due to a fit of her 'nerves'. She had sufficiently recovered just in time to begin making plans as to which of her daughters she would market off to the unknown Mr Collins.

Elizabeth smirked, remembering her mother's sudden shock when they had finally met the mysterious Mr Collins. Clearly, he was nothing like she had been envisioning. Elizabeth imagined that her mother had thought he would be a perfectly charming, handsome gentleman, fit to inherit Longbourn and marry one of her daughters. Instead, he was a simple, slightly slimy man who spent most of his time enthusing to great lengths about 'his estimable patroness, the Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh'. Elizabeth really could not see why he was a member of the clergy.

For the first hour they had been treated to what Lady Catherine's opinion of their curtains, furniture, wallpaper, and finally, themselves would have been. Elizabeth and Jane had escaped to their room at the earliest opportunity. Once Mrs Bennet had recovered from her shock, she was just as determined to see one of her daughters married to the silly man. It seemed the lure of the entail and permanent residence at Longbourne was simply too great to resist.

Supper was a particularly uncomfortable affair.

'Miss Bennet is the perfect example of a woman Lady Catherine would esteem. She shall make a perfect wife.'

Elizabeth squeezed Jane's hand under the table as she paled.

'Oh, no, Mr Collins!' Mrs Bennet interjected. 'Jane is soon to receive an offer from another gentleman.'

'Oh, I see. Well, Lady Catherine would be most affronted if I stood in the way of another gentleman.' Here, his eyes turned to Elizabeth, who only just managed to hide her horror in time.

However, she was able to see humour in almost every situation, and she began to ponder what the Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh would think of her parson standing in the way of her nephew. Her lips twitched, but she soon sobered, for Mr Darcy was too sensible to offer for her, and Lady Catherine would no doubt disapprove most heartily of his choice.

'Of course, Miss Elizabeth, you must curb your wild nature,' Mr Collins addressed her. 'Lady Catherine would be most displeased with your habit of walking out everywhere.'

'It seems Lady Catherine disapproves of a great many things. How on earth do you keep track?'

Jane kicked her under the table, but Mr Collins did not seem to even acknowledge her insult. Elizabeth turned back to her supper with a sigh, but not after catching an amused look from her father.

* * *

Fitzwilliam Darcy could not seem to fix on anything at the moment. After getting up to switch books for the third time, Caroline exclaimed, 'Why, Mr Darcy, you seem quite agitated today! Have you heard bad news from Georgiana?'

'Nothing like that,' he replied curtly, selecting a new book and taking his seat once more.

'Then what on earth – oh, do not tell me you are missing Eliza's "fine eyes" already! Why, I never perceived anything of interest in them.'

Mr Darcy ignored her for fear of saying something he would later regret.

'But then, I am sure that is her only recommendation to any man. After all, she is of low birth, and has no connections.'

Mr Darcy replied coolly, 'It is my understanding that the Bennets are gently born. In _that_ , they are above you.'

Miss Bingley flushed, but rallied almost immediately. 'Well, I suppose God must grant them one mode of recommendation, for their comportment is severely lacking.' Mr Darcy said nothing, but she seemed to take this as a sign of his agreement, for she continued, 'And as for Eliza's habit of traipsing all over the country! Why, she looked quite wild when she appeared to tend her sister, do you not think so?' Not waiting for an answer, she went on, 'I am surprised she has not got into any trouble. It really is most unseemly to be walking around unchaperoned. Dangerous too, I would imagine.'

Remembering the morning he had come across Wickham and Elizabeth, and her subsequent apprehension, Darcy grit his teeth. If Miss Bingley found out one word about what had happened, she would surely take it upon herself to spread it about the Ton and ruin Elizabeth's reputation.

'Really, I cannot see why you seem to like her so much. Surely you would not want dear Georgiana mixing with such people?'

Mr Darcy finally snapped. 'If you must know, Miss Bingley, I am missing Miss Elizabeth's conversation. She is good company. We seem to be sorely lacking in that department at the moment!'

He strode from the room to the sight of Miss Bingley's suddenly pale face, and Mr Bingley's mingled approving and concerned one.

 **Next chapter: Elizabeth comes face-to-face Wickham for the first time since the grove!**


	7. NOT A CHAPTER

Sorry, this is not a chapter, just an update:

Don't worry, there will be no more flashbacks! Sorry if they made things seem a bit disjointed. The chapters are now in chronological order: I've combined the two flashbacks and reposted them as Chapter 1.

Hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

-riddikuluslymoony :)


	8. Mr Darcy Saves the Day (Again)

**This is the first of the promised five chapters. I'm sorry but I haven't finished editing the other ones. I have just moved back to the UK after spending 9 years overseas, and I have a few medical conditions that deteriorate rapidly if I don't have access to a doctor, so I have been trying to sort that out this week and last week.**

 **Hopefully a few will be up later today or early tomorrow :)**

 **alix33: thanks again!**

It was with some trepidation that Elizabeth finally set out for Meryton and her Aunt Phillips's with her sisters and cousin. She had been anxious about the affair ever since it had been announced, hoping she would not have to run into Mr Wickham again.

When they reached her aunt's house, Elizabeth sat with her sisters in the parlour, and was most embarrassed when Mr Collins immediately began prattling on about Lady Catherine again. She relented only slightly in her embarrassment when she realised he was actually paying a compliment to her aunt by comparing her parlour to that of Rosings'. Indeed, her aunt listened most enthusiastically, leaving no room for conversation between the sisters. Mr Collins's monologue only let up upon the appearance of several members of the Militia.

Elizabeth had been wondering all evening whether Mr Wickham would dare to show his face, perhaps to gloat, so she was therefore not surprised when she spotted his tall form next to that of Mr Denny. She thought for a moment about lowering her face, but then resolved against it. It was he who was to blame, and he who was at fault for everything, not she. She was however, gobsmacked and a little afraid when he made a beeline for her.

She tried to move away, but she was not quick enough. He sat next to her with a smile. 'My _dear_ Miss Elizabeth, how do you fair this evening?' Not waiting for an answer, he plowed on. 'I am surprised you find yourself able to appear in society. Tell me, did Mr Darcy not cast you off upon finding us last week?'

Elizabeth's thoughts were propelled back to the week she had spent at Netherfield. Images of Mr Darcy's kind smile and concerned eyes flashed through her mind, and Elizabeth stood, trembling with anger. 'You can have nothing to say to me, and I can have nothing to say to you that either of us would wish to hear.'

'Oh, I doubt that very much, Miss Elizabeth,' he leered.

'You will forgive me if I take my leave, I do not wish to speak with you again.' Elizabeth left his side, feeling angry tears smarting in her eyes.

Jane called out to her as she passed, by Elizabeth was beyond caring what any of the other members of the party thought of her. Forgetting her coat and gloves, she walked straight out of her aunt's house and into the cold night, uncaring of where she was going.

As she wandered further down the road through Meryton, she heard hoofbeats and moved to let the rider pass.

'Miss Bennet!' the voice of the horseman startled her.

She looked up and a lump formed in her throat. 'Good evening, Mr Darcy.' She curtsied, and walked on.

'Elizabeth!'

Darcy had dismounted, and after tying his steed's reins to a nearby post, hastened after her.

'You may continue your ride, Mr Darcy.'

'It is not safe for you to wander about alone at night!' he exclaimed. 'Surely you know that?'

'It is safer for me out here than it is in _there_ , sir,' she responded.

'To what do you refer?' he asked, frowning.

'It is of no consequence,' Elizabeth replied. She turned to walk on, but Darcy caught her arm.

'Elizabeth! Elizabeth – you are freezing. What on earth possessed you to come outside without your coat?' he asked while divesting himself of his.

'I beg you, sir, do not. It is unnecessary.'

When he wrapped her carefully in his thick overcoat, it all became too much, and to her mortification, she began to cry. His coat was far too big, but it smelled nice and it was warm, and she felt safe and protected for the first time since leaving Netherfield.

'Elizabeth,' he said helplessly. 'Elizabeth, please do not cry.'

He awkwardly placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sniffling, she collapsed into his chest and his arms went about her tightly. 'What is wrong? What has happened?' he demanded of her.

She shook her head and burrowed more deeply into his warm, protective embrace. After a moment, he drew away. She swallowed and would not meet his eyes. Gentle, cool fingers touched her cheek and lifted her eyes to his. 'Elizabeth,' he said quietly. 'What has happened?'

His eyes demanded the truth from her and she gave in with one whispered word, 'Wickham.'

He stiffened, the arm still holding her tightening around her waist protectively. 'Did he – he did not –' He swallowed painfully.

Elizabeth shook her head vehemently. 'No, nor do I think he means to try. It is just – he is at my aunt's, sir, and he –'

'And he taunted you and that is what drove you outside,' he finished for her. 'Yes, I know him well. Let me deal with him.'

'Mr Darcy, no!' She gripped his arms.

'Elizabeth, you cannot expect me to merely leave Meryton as though he has not insulted both your honour and mine!'

'Please,' she whispered.

'I am not leaving you here alone!'

Elizabeth flinched at the anger in his voice.

He immediately softened. 'I am sorry, Elizabeth. I did not mean to raise my voice. I just – I did not allow Georgiana to be subjected to his cruelty, and I am most certainly not going to allow _you_ to –' He broke off. 'Will you at least allow me to accompany you inside?'

She visibly trembled at the thought of meeting Wickham again. Darcy inwardly cursed the man. How was it that he was able to reduce both the women he loved most in this world to terrified shells of themselves?

Abandoning all sense of propriety, he took her pale face in his hands. 'Elizabeth, look at me.' She lifted her eyes uncertainly to his. He smiled. 'Do you not remember how adeptly you prevented his advances? I believe he is more afraid of you than you are of him.'

A reluctant smile appeared on her lips, and he let go of her quickly, lest he do something even more improper, like planting a kiss on those soft lips. Instead, he offered her his arm. 'Shall we?'

She tucked her delicate hand into the crook of his elbow, and he silently congratulated himself on giving her his greatcoat. Now her hand was on his shirtsleeve, and it felt almost as

though she was touching his skin.

'What of your horse, sir?'

He smiled at her concern. 'I daresay Apollo shall be fine for a half hour or two. He has managed it before.'

'Apollo? And is your horse gifted in prophecies, Mr Darcy?'

He smiled again. 'Perhaps he is. Apollo was part of the reason I decided to head to Ramsgate earlier than expected. He is quite intuitive.'

'Are you suggesting that your horse informed you of an upcoming elopement?' Elizabeth said half-laughing.

'Doubt me if you dare,' he replied.

'I do dare,' she responded, and he tucked her arm more firmly through his, glad to see she was regaining some of her spirit.

Elizabeth slipped out of Darcy's coat and handed it back to him as they entered her aunt's house. Elizabeth was hesitant to move further into the house.

'Are you certain you do not mind this?' she asked him.

'I do not, if it is to assist you.'

Elizabeth half-smiled, and led him into the parlour. To her dismay, everyone was still gathered there and Wickham was lying in wait for her by the doors. 'There you are, Miss Elizabeth, we had all wondered –' He broke off as he caught sight of Mr Darcy entering the room behind her. 'Well, well, well. If it is not Mr High and Mighty himself. What is the matter, Elizabeth, do you need this imbecile as a protector now? Or perhaps he has achieved what I failed to do, and got between your –'

He was cut off before he could go any further by an outraged Mr Darcy striking him across the face. The sound of Mr Wickham hitting the floor startled everyone out of their various amusements, and everyone turned to look at the scene unfolding in front of them. Mr Darcy was standing slightly in front of Elizabeth with a protective stance, Wickham at his feet. Wickham spat blood from his mouth.

'You will regret that, Darcy!'

'I am sure,' Darcy said drily. He turned to the hostess. 'Mrs Phillips, I do beg your forgiveness for the mess. Wickham was just leaving, were you not?'

Wickham glared at the pair of them before scrambling up from the floor and exiting the room. A moment later they heard the front door slam.

'I apologise for any foul language you heard,' Darcy said. 'If I may be so bold, perhaps I could escort your nieces home shortly. Miss Elizabeth is not feeling well.'

Jane rushed to Elizabeth's side. 'Oh, of course, we shall leave at once, Lizzy!'

Lydia looked most disgruntled. 'Lizzy, you are always spoiling my fun! And Mr Darcy too, is so disagreeable! Why, I do not see the problem with Mr Collins escorting us back to Longbourne.'

Mr Collins approached. 'I assure you, Mr Darcy, I am most cautious with my cousins' reputations. I am well recommended to escort them, as my patroness –your Aunt, Lady Catherine is always saying, I am very –'

'I do not believe having an acquaintance with my Aunt proves a person trustworthy,' Mr Darcy said coldly. 'While I do not doubt _your_ character, Wickham may also claim the same

privilege.'

Mr Collins opened his mouth and then shut it again, looking abashed. He mumbled something under his breath and sank into a low bow.

Apologies were hastily uttered; Mr Darcy informing Mrs Phillips that Wickham was not a man to be trusted, before they took their leave.

As they walked back to Longbourn, Elizabeth said quietly, 'Would it be too much to ask that you speak with my father about Wickham?'

Darcy looked down at her in surprise. 'Have you not informed your family of his true nature?'

'I have, but no one believes me. Papa does not believe we are at risk because we are poor, but I cannot bring myself to tell him about – about –'

He gently pressed her hand to sooth her. 'I shall speak with him. It is, after all, my fault. I should have warned Meryton about him.'

'It is not your fault. It is the fault of Wickham, and Wickham alone, for it his his character that is the ugly one, not yours.'

He half-smiled. 'I still should have acted.'

'Yes, but we none of us should have believed him! Why, he told each of us his tale when we had just become acquainted!'

'But that is again my fault, Miss Elizabeth. I had done nothing to make you doubt his words, and I am sure neither had he.'

When they reached Longbourn, Darcy left Elizabeth's side only after receiving repeated assurances of her welfare. He left the sitting room to knock on the door of Mr Bennet's study.

'Enter,' said a surprised voice.

Mr Darcy walked in and closed the door behind him.

'Mr Darcy! I am all astonishment,' Mr Bennet said, although Darcy though he saw a knowing twinkle in his eye.

'Mr Bennet, I have come to warn you about a certain gentleman named Mr Wickham,' Darcy said, without preamble.

Mr Bennet's eyebrows rose perceptibly. It was clear that this was not the subject he had been expecting.

'Miss Elizabeth has told me that she has tried to warn you, but you have not listened.'

Mr Bennet was affronted now. 'Sir, I do believe myself capable of making up my own mind.'

Darcy began to pace, as he so often did when he was agitated. 'Yes, of course. I apologise.' He stopped halfway across the room. 'Mr Bennet, she told me that you did not believe your daughters at risk.'

Mr Bennet frowned. 'No, I do not,' he said honestly. 'They are of little fortune.'

'You could not be more wrong,' Darcy said heavily. 'I have known Wickham since I was a boy. We went to University together. Indeed, he often preys on the poor because their fathers have no inducements to make him marry their daughters. I know that he has already compromised one of the shopkeepers' daughters.'

Mr Bennet was shocked. 'I see. This is grave indeed. I shall warn my family as soon as possible.'

'That is not all,' Mr Darcy said. His heart twisted, but he knew it was the right thing to do. 'Miss Elizabeth does not wish me to inform you of this, but I fear I must, for her sake, if not the rest of your family. But first I want your assurance you will never speak to anyone of it, _especially_ not Mrs Bennet.'

Mr Bennet paled suddenly, as though realising what was coming.

'She was not taken advantage of,' Mr Darcy was quick to reassure him. 'Luckily, she managed to prevent that,' he said with a soft smile on his face at the recollection of how she had injured Wickham.

Mr Bennet cleared his throat, and Darcy had the grace to blush. 'When Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were staying at Netherfield, I came upon Miss Elizabeth and Wickham in the grove …'

* * *

The very next day, the Bingleys came to Longbourn to personally extend an invitation to the Netherfield Ball. To the surprise of everyone but Mr Bennet, Darcy had accompanied them. He spent the majority of the visit staring at Elizabeth, causing Kitty and Lydia to break out into hushed giggles and whispers. Unfortunately for all involved, Mr Collins was immune to these subtle hints. He was still convinced that his cousin would be overjoyed to accept him, and in any case had no other option.

Elizabeth was growing uncomfortable under Mr Darcy's scrutiny, especially in the presence of her family and Miss Bingley, who was currently engaged in staring daggers at her opponent. She fidgeted and Jane put a soothing hand on top of hers.

Mr Darcy himself was in fact unaware of his staring and the reactions of the others in the room. He was too busy trying to think of a way to ask Elizabeth to dance in a way that she would accept. He was not unaware of Mrs Bennet's and Mr Collins's plans, and while he thought Elizabeth was too smart to accept the man, he still had his doubts.

It was to the relief of everyone when the four from Netherfield finally took their leave; Mr Bingley extending an invitation for Elizabeth and Jane to lunch at Netherfield four days hence, the day before the Netherfield Ball. Elizabeth smiled at this news, wondering if Mr Bingley was planning on proposing to Jane then. She could not know that Darcy had helped engineer this plan, wanting a moment alone with her to try and determine her feelings before the ball.

She bid goodbye to Mr Darcy with an unflattering feeling of relief.

 **And yes, I went there with that jacket cliché.**

 **Next chapter: Luncheon at Netherfield. I wonder if Darcy will ask Elizabeth to dance …**


	9. Getting to Know Mr Darcy

**Here are the next two chapters! They are both quite long :) (The last two of the five I promised will be up tomorrow) Enjoy and please review!**

The next few days brought heavy rain, much to the dismay of Elizabeth. She was stuck inside all day with Mr Collins, whom she was sure was about to propose any day soon. Mr Darcy, stuck inside Netherfield with Caroline, was also dismayed. There was now no chance of potentially meeting Elizabeth on one of her morning walks, and he would have to resign himself to seeing her on Wednesday, when the two eldest Bennet girls came for luncheon.

It was to the mingled relief and anxiety of everyone when the relentless rain finally let up to a light drizzle on the morning of the twenty-fifth of November. By the time Elizabeth and Jane were entering the carriage to travel to Netherfield, the sun was just peeking out behind the thick grey clouds.

It was slow going, as the roads were almost drowned in mud in some places. They should, have course, cancelled the luncheon, but Mrs Bennet was determined that Jane spend time with Bingley, and after seeing Darcy stare at Elizabeth, Mr Collins was no longer a thought in her mind.

It was a couple of hours later that they finally reached Netherfield. Bingley was waiting anxiously on the top step, and beamed when he saw the carriage, hastening down the steps to help Jane out of the carriage.

'We worried your carriage had been overturned, or something equally as dreadful,' he said.

'We are quite well,' Jane said with a smile.

Caroline, who had followed her brother down the steps on the arm of Mr Darcy, sniffed. 'Yes, well, you really should not have come. The roads are dangerous in this weather. But I am sure _certain_ amusements could not be forsaken.'

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Caroline's for once accurate assumption, and smiled awkwardly at Mr Darcy as he helped her down from the carriage. She still had not forgotten his staring, and wondered if she had done something to earn his disapproval. She let go of his hand as soon as possible. She thought she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but could not be certain.

They all walked up the steps as a group, and after shucking their coats, entered the dining parlour, where Mr and Mrs Hurst were waiting for them. By some happenstance, Mr Darcy managed to engineer it so he ended up next to Elizabeth. She was unsure how this had come to pass, for Caroline was glaring daggers at him, and Elizabeth was sure that this could not have been where the currently fuming hostess had originally placed his seating card.

As Elizabeth helped herself to some cold cuts, Mr Darcy asked in a low, fervent tone, 'I hope I have done nothing to offend you?'

She set her fork down and turned to him in surprise. 'I confess I was wondering the same thing.'

He frowned. 'I cannot take your meaning.'

'That day – after the Phillipses, you were staring at me so. Everyone noticed, and I thought perhaps I had been a nuisance when you found me in the dark the night before.'

To her amazement, Mr Darcy coloured deeply. 'You were not a nuisance,' he said after a moment. 'I had not – everyone noticed, you say?' She nodded, and he swallowed. 'I apologise if I made you uncomfortable. I had several things on my mind.'

She smiled, and accepted his apology with another nod. Mr Darcy sighed, and turned back to his meal, turning his fork over an over absently. He still had not thought of a way to ask Elizabeth to dance with him, but knew it had to be today, or else someone would snap her up at the ball before he could. He desperately wanted to dance the first set with her, as it would make the rest of the evening remarkably more tolerable.

He knew that, as their guest, he would be expected to dance the first with Caroline, but he really could not care less at present. She had been nothing but an annoyance these past few days, detecting his partiality for Elizabeth and trying in vain to direct his attentions towards herself instead. As it currently stood, he really could not bring himself to dance with her, not even to appease Charles. He was quite fed up with her attempts to win his hand by belittling Elizabeth. He thought it would do her some good to be slighted for once, and perhaps it would finally convince her that he was never going to offer for her.

The rest of the luncheon passed amicably, with Caroline directing no more than one or two barbs towards Elizabeth, too busy going over her preparations for the ball in her mind. This was her one chance to show Mr Darcy how grand a hostess she was, and how she would be very capable of organising balls at Pemberley. If only Caroline knew that Darcy would be quite pleased to never have a ball at Pemberley!

After the meal was finished, Darcy and Elizabeth managed to slip away from the rest of the party, though separately, of course. Bingley and Jane were too taken with each other to notice, and Caroline was quite preoccupied with making last minute arrangements for the ball the following day. To the mingled joy of the pair, the rain had stopped, and the sun was now in full force. They met quite by accident in the grove, and Darcy offered to accompany her back. She assented with a pretty smile and he noticed with some amusement that her skirt was once again 'six inches deep in mud'.

As they walked, he winced slightly every five steps or so as he leant on his cane. Elizabeth soon noticed. 'Mr Darcy, what on earth is the matter?'

He immediately straightened his spine uncomfortably. 'Nothing, Miss Elizabeth.'

'Do not tell me it is nothing, for I saw you wincing!'

'Very well,' he said reluctantly. 'I confess my hand is still quite bruised from where I struck Wickham. Perhaps I have broken something.'

Elizabeth immediately reached for the hand that was grasping his walking stick. He switched it to the other hand quickly, eager to feel her gentle touch once again. She raised his hand to her eyes, examining it closely. Across the knuckles a most unsightly black and blue mottled bruise discoloured his hand.

'Hmm,' she said, pretending to ponder his situation. 'I am afraid to say … you will live, Mr Darcy!'

He chuckled. Impulsively, she gave his knuckles a swift kiss. He was delighted. Blushing, she turned to walk back to the house, and he followed her quickly, deciding to be impulsive for perhaps the first time in his life. 'Miss Elizabeth?'

'Mr Darcy?' she replied, swinging her arms joyfully in a way Miss Bingley would certainly deem improper, but that he found endearing.

'May I claim your first set tomorrow?' he asked, crossing his fingers behind his back.

Elizabeth stopped short and looked at him in surprise. 'I had thought you detested dancing.'

'Only when I do not know my partner very well,' he replied.

'And what makes you think you know me so well?' she asked.

'Nothing, other than the fact that you are a very honest person, and I doubt you are putting on a front, as I do.'

'You still have not told me why you do such a thing,' Elizabeth observed.

He let out a long sigh. 'Very well, Miss Elizabeth. If I tell you, will you allow me the honour of standing up with you?'

Elizabeth's eyes twinkled mischievously. 'Perhaps.'

He fought a smile unsuccessfully. 'Well, I suppose that shall have to do.' He gestured to a nearby bench in Netherfield's garden. 'Shall we sit?'

Elizabeth sat next to him with all the grace of a lady of the Ton, and none of the pretension. He played with the handle of his walking stick as he tried to think of a way to explain. She looked at him patiently, and he marvelled at the change in their associations. Before, although he had not noticed until now, she had not looked directly in his eyes when speaking to him, but now, she met his eyes with varying expressions; humour, defiance, understanding.

'I suppose it began after my first year as an eligible bachelor. I found that in that year, I was approached much more often than I would have liked, simply because most ladies take a smile to mean an invitation to flirt. It pains me to admit it, but I am remarkably shy, and do not perform well in conversation unless I know or like the person. I did not want to be constantly sought after for my wealth, so I perfected an aloof exterior. I do not want to be shackled to a conniving, flirtatious or spiteful woman for the rest of my life. I wanted to speak with someone who challenged me, and appreciated my mind, not my wealth and title. And yet, I found no such person, as most ladies use other methods to entrap their husbands.' He paused.

Elizabeth was smiling slightly. 'You make society sound so odious, Mr Darcy! Is it truly that awful?'

He met her dark, dancing eyes. 'I know that Miss Bingley often tries to embarrass you by remarking on your inexperience in society, but believe me when I say you are much better off out of it. It is like a den of lions. The women are constantly trying to out do one another, while making pointed barbs, and the mothers are stalking eligible men to shackle to their daughters. If I had my way, I would remain shut away at Pemberley. Georgiana often says I am at my best there.'

'Why is that, do you think?'

'Perhaps it is because it is peaceful, and I can walk, ride, and fish to my heart's content, undisturbed. And Georgiana is very dear to me.' He clenched his fist around the handle of his walking stick convulsively. Then a smile curled around his lips. 'I confess, the only time I do not like my home is when Bingley's sisters come to stay.'

'Mr Darcy!' Elizabeth exclaimed, laughing delightedly. 'Are you purposely being rude?'

Darcy smiled. 'Perhaps. And now, Miss Elizabeth, I believe you owe me an answer.' He regarded her expectantly. He was unsure what her answer would be, considering she had hated him until recently. But she seemed to enjoy his company now, and he was making more of an effort to converse with her.

Elizabeth flashed him a devilish smile. 'I am afraid, Mr Darcy, that my first two dances are previously engaged.'

He stared at her for a moment. 'Elizabeth!' he said exasperatedly.

She laughed gleefully. When she sobered, she flashed him a warm, uncertain smile. 'However, it is very likely that I could persuade the man to forgo that set, as your welfare is very important to him.' She looked as though she was trying valiantly not to laugh.

'May I inquire as to who the gentleman is?'

'My cousin, Mr Collins, who as you know is a parson in your aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh's parish. I must say, he is quite insistent on us being polite and courteous to all members of your family. When he first arrived, he told me at least twice a day what Lady Catherine would think of me and that I should act more appropriately.'

'I daresay my aunt would disapprove of you most heartily, Miss Elizabeth,' Mr Darcy replied, a smirk forming at the thought of her outrage if she ever found out he wanted to marry Elizabeth. 'But do not take it to heart. She disapproves of every unmarried woman, except my cousin Anne, for the fear they will snap me up before I can marry her.'

'Oh! Are you engaged, then?' Elizabeth asked curiously.

'Most certainly not,' Mr Darcy said decidedly. 'My aunt does everything in her power to spread that rumour, but neither I nor Anne wish to marry each other.'

'That must disappoint your aunt greatly.'

'Oh, she will not desist, and nor do I think she ever will, until I am married and safely hidden away at Pemberley. I am sure she will do everything in her power to make it extremely difficult for me to reach the altar.' He laughed.

'Oh, poor Mr Darcy!' Elizabeth said, grinning. 'I must confess, I sympathise somewhat. Although, my mother is the exact opposite. She will do everything in her power to _force_ me to the altar!'

'And is there a gentleman she is keen for you to marry?' he asked.

'Mr Collins,' Elizabeth admitted.

'Mr Collins!' Darcy exclaimed. That imbecile, married to his Elizabeth?!

'You need not fear, Mr Darcy,' Elizabeth said amusedly. 'I have no intention of marrying him. I do not wish to marry without love.'

Relief coloured his tone. 'Even though you would stay in your childhood home and he would provide for you and your family?'

'Yes. I would rather be poor and loved than rich and unhappy.'

'You are entirely singular, Miss Elizabeth,' Mr Darcy said wonderingly.

Her eyes flashed at him. 'If by that you think I am being silly –'

'Not at all,' he said calmly. He was in too good a mood to be drawn into an argument with her at present, much as he loved to argue with her. 'I believe we have the same views on marriage.'

She regarded him with some surprise. Although she had suspected it, due to his wishes for his friend, she had not expected him to confirm it. 'You wish to marry for love?'

'I did not always,' he confessed. 'I thought I should do my duty to the Darcy name, at first.'

'What changed your mind, if I may ask?' Elizabeth inquired.

'I recently rediscovered a letter from my mother to my younger self,' he replied. 'She wanted me to marry whomever I pleased, and not to think only of my duty. She married with affection herself. Also, spending long, confined periods with Caroline Bingley has made me realise I do not wish to be shackled to such a shrew merely for my duty.'

Elizabeth laughed. 'I do not think that would please her at all! She is determined to have you.'

'And I am just as determined not to be had!' Darcy exclaimed.

Elizabeth fingered her necklace, smiling, and as Darcy watched her, he was filled with images of Elizabeth wearing his mother's necklace, wandering the halls of Pemberley. He immediately longed to ask her to Pemberley for Christmas, but had no idea how to go about such a thing. Perhaps if he requested her supper set, he could speak with her then, or sneak her away for a moment. He would have to invite Miss Bennet as well, for propriety's sake. And some older relatives, although he was loath to invite Mrs Bennet. Mr Bennet, he could handle. Yes, that would do it. But perhaps he should invite her younger siblings as well –

His musings were interrupted by Elizabeth's pleasant voice. He blinked and met her eyes. She was regarding him quizzically.

'Miss Elizabeth?'

'What are you puzzling over so deeply?' she asked playfully.

'I was wondering whether it would be the height of impropriety to request your supper set also,' he answered. He knew this would have serious implications and would stir some talk about his intentions towards Elizabeth, but he was already set on marrying her anyway, so he did not mind. He only hoped that she would agree, despite this.

Elizabeth looked astonished, and hesitated a moment before replying, 'I would be delighted to accept. You are certainly going out of your way to endear yourself to the neighbourhood.'

'Am I?' he asked in surprise.

'Oh, yes. By dancing with me, a country miss, all your previous ill-manners will be forgiven.'

'A country miss!' he laughed.

'What is so amusing?' Elizabeth demanded.

'You are one of the most accomplished women I know. A country miss indeed,' he chortled.

'I am all astonishment, sir. I thought you only knew six truly accomplished women.'

'Less, probably,' he admitted. 'But you are one of them. I thought you gathered that when I mentioned extensive reading?'

'No, I did not,' she replied. 'I thought you were laughing at me.'

'Elizabeth, why must you always wilfully misunderstand me? I was _trying_ to pay you a compliment. Rather unsuccessfully, I will admit, but – I cannot believe you thought it an insult!' He laughed again.

It is not so strange. You are always laughing at me,' she retorted.

'Only when there is great need of it, Miss Elizabeth,' he got out through his chuckles.

'What is so amusing, Darcy?' A shrill voice cutting through the air announced the presence of Caroline Bingley.

Darcy gave a little, not-so-false shiver, and Elizabeth laughed heartily at him. He joined in her giggles, and Caroline came upon them sitting close together, laughing merrily. Darcy caught the scowl and vicious look not meant for him to see which she sent towards Elizabeth before she gave him a simpering smile.

'Pray, tell me the joke, Mr Darcy,' she crooned.

'There was no joke, Miss Bingley,' Elizabeth said before he could open his mouth. 'Mr Darcy was laughing at me.'

'Oh. Well, I can imagine that is rather easy to do! Do you not agree, Mr Darcy?'

'Quite,' Darcy said, with an amused glance at Elizabeth. If he did not agree, it would be worse for Elizabeth. He rose abruptly, knowing the longer he stayed with Elizabeth in Caroline's company, the more vicious she would become./

Not quite keen to leave her, he bowed low over her gloved hand, and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of it. When he straightened, he just caught her fading blush. He fixed her with smiling eyes, not moving his mouth, hoping she would remember his jest that he would only smile in private with her. She evidently did, for her eyes danced, and her lips formed a half-smile.

'I look forward to tomorrow evening,' he said quietly, enjoying the blush that stained her cheeks at his words. He released her hand, and walked off down the garden path towards the house.

'What is this about tomorrow evening?' Caroline demanded.

'Well, you are hosting a ball, you know,' he heard Elizabeth reply.

'I know that,' Caroline snapped at her. 'DARCY!' she shrieked. He winced, and lengthened his stride, knowing Elizabeth was probably having a good laugh at his expense.

 **AN: Ah, Darcy and Elizabeth forgoing the rules of etiquette for romance :P**

 **I know that it would be extremely scandalous for Elizabeth to persuade Mr Collins to switch sets, but he seems stupid enough to fall for it, especially when Lady Catherine's nephew is involved …**

 **Next chapter: The Netherfield Ball has arrived at last!**


	10. The Netherfield Ball

**Anything you recognise is Jane Austen's!**

Darcy waited impatiently with Bingley and Caroline at the doors to the ballroom. He knew he was being borderline unwelcoming and occasionally downright uncivil as each new guest arrived, but he could not care less. He knew Caroline thought nothing of it, that he, like she was bored with the country. He was glad she had no idea of his true thoughts; that he was in fact waiting anxiously for Elizabeth, eager to dance and converse with her throughout the night. He was on the verge of stamping his foot like a young boy deprived of his favourite pastime, when he caught the name Bennet.

'Mr Collins, Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet, Miss Bennet, and Miss Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia Bennet,' announced the butler.

As the Bennet family approached them, he watched Jane and Charles's interactions carefully. They both looked happy to be with each other, conversing in soft tones, and he saw Jane smile softly. If he watched closely enough, he could see what Elizabeth meant about Jane being shy, and in fact began to recognise in her many of the same little mannerisms that he himself sometimes displayed. In fact, he believed she was looking at Bingley now in the way he quite often looked at Elizabeth. He turned back to the rest of the party, satisfied. Now, if only he could persuade Elizabeth to love him.

He scanned the party, looking for her, and his breath caught in his throat. Good Lord, she was beautiful. She was wearing a simple white muslin gown adorned with white lace, showing off her very pleasing figure to perfection. Her unruly chestnut curls were swept into a fine up-do, a string of pearls and white silk flowers entwined within it.

He caught her eye, and realised that, by some divine occurrence, he was last to greet her. He bowed. She curtsied, and met his eye, his favourite look in her fine ones: merry mischief, as though she had done something extremely naughty.

I am pleased to inform you, sir, that Mr Collins has relinquished my first two dances and has demanded that I dance with you at once.' Her eyes twinkled. 'I simply must obey him, or his reputation shall be on the line!'

Darcy could not help himself. He laughed.

Several heads turned their way in astonishment. Mrs Bennet looked at them approvingly, and Darcy could practically see the pound signs flashing in her eyes, but for once, he did not care. Caroline was staring at him and Elizabeth in outraged disdain, and bewilderment. He had never laughed that way with emher/em, she was certain.

He bowed once more, his eyes twinkling. 'However did you persuade him?' He offered her his arm, saying, 'We must make haste. Allow me to escort you to the dance floor at once.'

She took his arm with a pretty smile, and he felt like the happiest man in the world as he led her towards the place where the next set was lining up. He lifted his head proudly, feeling rather smug at all the jealous looks he was receiving from the men, and the incredulous ones from the women.

They took their places in the set, and he kept his eyes on her every moment of the dance. She looked so beautiful, a happy smile on her face, cheeks flushed from the exertion. His fingers tingled every time he touched her hand or her waist as was indicated by the dance, and he wondered if she felt the same spark of electricity whenever they touched.

In the break between sets, Darcy procured her some punch.

'You are very gallant today, Mr Darcy.'

'I am in an uncommonly good mood,' he confessed.

'Yes, I see that,' she replied, sipping her punch. 'What can have caused this change, I wonder?'

Mr Darcy smiled, and leant towards her slightly, as though informing her of some great secret. 'I have so far been able to avoid the clutches of Miss Bingley, and long I hope it may continue.'

'Do not worry, sir. I shall save you the displeasure!' Elizabeth replied, grinning.

Mr Darcy smiled ruefully. 'I thank you for you consideration, but I am afraid you will be engaged for most of the evening.'

'Will I?' she asked in astonishment. 'Do you know something I do not?'

'No,' he said, with a smile at her obliviousness. 'Merely the fact that you are the most divine-looking woman in the room.'

'You jest, Mr Darcy.'

'I am all seriousness,' he replied, his smile vanishing. 'You look perfectly lovely this evening, Miss Elizabeth.'

Her dark eyes searched his carefully before she smiled with pleasure. 'I thank you sir. You have stroked my vanity enough for it to last throughout the evening.'

'I am sure it will endure many more compliments this evening,' Mr Darcy replied.

Before Elizabeth could reply, they were interrupted by Mr Collins, who immediately claimed the next set, if only for appearance's sake. No, if his patroness's nephew was taken with Elizabeth, he would not stand in his way. He had just become further acquainted with Charlotte Lucas, and thought she would make him a most sensible wife.

Darcy released Elizabeth's arm with much reluctance, and shot her a meaningful look as she was lead away. She winked at him as Mr Collins led her back onto the dance floor, her eyes brimming with mischief. He turned away to hide his smile.

Almost immediately, he was waylaid by Caroline Bingley.

'There you are, Darcy,' she simpered. 'I was in despair of finding you. I have been bored out of my mind with the endless country talk. I pray, relieve me of my misery! See Miss Eliza? She /spancannot dance for anything!'

Darcy glanced over to where Elizabeth was now dancing with Mr Collins. He winced in sympathy as he trod on her toes.

'I believe it is the cousin who cannot dance,' he replied.

'Ah yes, you danced with her, did you not? Tell me, is she as dreadful as she looks?'

'Quite the opposite,' Darcy informed her, quickly growing irritated. 'Now, if you will excuse me, I am engaged to dance with Miss Lucas.'/

He hurried across the room to Elizabeth's friend Charlotte, congratulating himself on his excellent plan. Not only had he escaped Miss Bingley, but he would improve no end in Elizabeth's eyes if he danced with her friend.

He bowed to Charlotte. 'Miss Lucas, may I have the honour of standing up with you for the next set?'

Charlotte stared at him in surprise. After a moment, she replied, 'You may. Although I suspect this is more for Elizabeth's benefit than mine.'

Darcy's eyes widened at her cunning intuition.

Charlotte frowned. 'It is so, is it not? I have not offended you?'

'Not at all,' he replied automatically. 'It is just – I did not think it was so obvious.'

Charlotte looked at him with a smirk. 'Ah, but you see, I have suspected you having a preference for her for quite a while now. She does not believe me.'

Mr Darcy's heart leapt that they had been having conversations about him, even if Elizabeth did not believe Charlotte's accurate observations. 'Well, I must congratulate you, Miss Lucas. You are very perceptive.'

She smiled and nodded her thanks. Darcy offered her his arm, as the next set was about to begin, and led her across the floor. He quite liked Charlotte, and was inclined to ask her to visit he and Elizabeth at Pemberley if or when they were married. As he took his place in the set, he noticed Elizabeth was partnered with a besotted-looking young soldier. He felt a twinge of jealousy, but could not blame the boy; he was besotted himself, if not as visibly.

As the set progressed, he found himself in possession of Elizabeth's hand twice. On the second occasion, he asked if her next set was taken, wondering if he might have a moment to converse with her then.

'No, I am exhausted! I cannot dance another for a while!'

'Then allow me to fetch you some refreshment afterwards,' he said, pleased.

She smiled in answer, and he released her to claim Charlotte once more.

When the dance was over, he bowed to Charlotte before hurrying off to fetch drinks. Looking back, he saw Charlotte and Elizabeth deep in conversation, so he procured a drink for her as well. When he approached them, he was delighted to see Elizabeth meet his eye and blush before looking away. Charlotte smirked in satisfaction.

He handed her a drink. 'Thank you Mr Darcy,' she said, accepting it. 'If you will excuse me, I must speak with my sister.' She crossed the hall, and Mr Darcy guided Elizabeth over to a set of comfortable chairs.

She sank into one with a relieved groan. 'It was nice of you to dance with Charlotte,' she offered.

'She is a pleasant young lady,' he returned.

'She seems to think you did it for me.'

'Miss Lucas is a very perceptive young woman,' was all he replied.

'So you did?'

'I shall neither confirm nor deny the claim,' he said, smirking.

She glared at him. Oh, how he loved to provoke her. He did not wish to ruin the mood of the evening, however, so he moved on.

'That young soldier you were dancing with was smitten,' he remarked.

'Yes,' Elizabeth said. 'He requested my supper set, and was most disappointed when I said it was taken. He begged me to persuade you to change your mind.' Her eyes twinkled.

'And how are you going to go about that?' Darcy asked, smiling.

'You are no Mr Collins,' she replied. 'I have no wish to be rid of you.'

He smiled widely. 'I am glad.'

Elizabeth stared. 'Mr Darcy – you have dimples!'

He flushed, but smiled even wider. 'Yes, so Georgiana tells me. They are not often on display.'

A new set started up, and they both watched for a moment. A most disgruntled looking Caroline was dancing with one of the militia. Darcy smirked to himself as she glared over at them every so often.

'I am afraid Miss Bingley will hate you with a vengeance after this evening,' Mr Darcy said.

'I would far rather be hated by her than liked,' Elizabeth replied. 'Will she not hate you too? You have deliberately avoided her for most of the evening, and have not even danced with her.'

'Alas, I can never remain in Miss Bingley's bad books for long. I must endeavour to infuriate her often.'

'That must be an easy task.'

'Hardly,' Mr Darcy scoffed. 'She is determined I am a saint, and barely understands my put-downs. I would dearly love to tell her plainly that she shall never be Mistress of Pemberley, but I cannot if I wish to remain friends with Bingley.'

'Surely –'

They were interrupted by another soldier. He bowed to them. 'Miss Elizabeth, may I request your hand for the next set?'

Elizabeth sighed inwardly, as did Darcy. He knew that if she refused she would have to sit out the rest of the dances, including the supper set with him. Taking pity on her, he cut in before she could assent, 'Miss Elizabeth is already engaged for the next.'

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he felt Elizabeth's astonished stare. 'That is a blatant lie, sir,' she hissed, looking shocked. He grinned.

'The supper set, then?' Mr Thomas asked hopefully, missing this exchange.

'That is already claimed by Mr Darcy,' Elizabeth replied.

Darcy was most amused to be on the receiving end of a sudden glare. 'I apologise, Mr Thomas,' he said, getting to his feet and bowing. 'Will you allow me to introduce you to Miss Kitty? I am persuaded you will find her very agreeable.'

Thomas allowed himself to be led over to Elizabeth's sister, who happily accepted his offer. Darcy returned to Elizabeth, only to find an irate Caroline standing over her. He groaned inwardly, but bowed.

'Miss Bingley.' He took his seat once more. 'A wonderful evening, is it not?'

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the corner of Elizabeth's mouth curl upwards.

Caroline glared at him. 'Oh, yes, Mr Darcy.' She turned towards him, and he saw to his mingled disgust and horror that she had pulled down the front of her dress slightly, her bosom protruding most inappropriately. 'Why, Louisa and I were just wondering whom you had engaged for the supper set, for we have only seen you dance with Miss Eliza and Miss Lucas!'

'I admire your keen observations,' Darcy said. He rather thought she missed the sarcasm. 'Miss Elizabeth's hand is engaged to me for the supper set.'

Caroline looked outraged.

'Miss Eliza! I know you think she has _fine_ eyes, but how you could wish to dine with her is beyond my belief! I remember, when we first knew her, how amazed we all were to find that she was a reputed beauty; and I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they had been dining at Netherfield, " _She_ a beauty!—I should as soon call her mother a wit." But afterwards she seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought her rather pretty at one time.'

'Yes,' replied Darcy, who had listened to Miss Bingley's tirade with increasing disbelief, 'but _that_ was only when I first saw her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.'

Miss Bingley was left dumbstruck. She walked away without a word, and Darcy let out a sigh of relief, only to find Elizabeth looking at him, tears forming around the glare in her eyes. Darcy's heart sank. If Caroline had ruined this evening, he would never forgive her.

'Elizabeth –'

'I do not know whether to be offended, or extremely grateful, or flattered!' she said. 'You are a mass of contradictions.' She got to her feet, but Darcy grabbed her wrist.

'Elizabeth, please! Let me explain.' His eyes begged her to relent. 'Please,' he whispered. Perhaps his tortured expression touched her, for she sat down.

'Well?' she asked.

'I only ever said those things to Miss Bingley because I was trying desperately to convince her – and myself – that I had no preference for you. I took no pleasure from saying it, you may be sure.' He loosened his hold on her wrist to let his fingers slip down the back of her hand and clasp hers. 'Please do not let her ruin this evening. It is what she wants.'

Elizabeth's beautiful eyes lifted to his. They were no longer angry; now they were filled with apologetic tears. 'I am sorry, Fitzwilliam,' she said hesitantly. His heart soared. It was the first time she had ever addressed him so informally. 'You are right, I am constantly wilfully misunderstanding you.'

He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a reverent kiss to it, not caring about propriety or who may be watching. She blushed becomingly and he set her hand back in her lap.

'Thank you, Elizabeth. And I find it most endearing that you are rarely searching for compliments in my words.'

'Oh, yes, I am sure that the ladies of the Ton could find a compliment even in a comment about the weather, say.'

'You are quite correct in your observation,' Mr Darcy said, amused.

They sat in a comfortable silence, watching the dancing, until the time came for them to stand up for the supper set.

 **Hope you liked it! More to come tomorrow :)**


	11. An Invitation to Pemberley

**LMFG: I meant 'parson'. Oops! Thanks for spotting that, I've fixed it now :)**

 **Len: Thank you, I will fix that :)**

 **Guest & Jenvet: I know crying is not like Elizabeth, but if you came face to face with a man who almost assaulted you, however strong you are, I think you would be a bit OOC, but that's just my opinion. But don't worry, once she has had time to come to terms with it, she will be back to the Elizabeth we all know and love! I can even envision another punch, delivered by Elizabeth this time … ;)**

 **peacocksandlockets: I'm sorry if it offended you, I didn't mean to imply that, but I can see how it could come across that way. I have re-worded it :)**

 **Thank you for all your reviews! Hope you like these next two chapters :)**

Mr Darcy led Elizabeth back to the dance floor to the raised eyebrows of many. For such a gentleman to single out a lady twice could only mean one thing. Caroline shot daggers at them from her place in the set. She was not immune to the mutters and the implications of Darcy dancing Elizabeth twice when he hardly ever stood up with anyone, and she was furious. She had been after Mr Darcy for almost five years, and that little upstart wench had darted in and swept him away in less than a month! She simply had to do something. She could not yet think of what, but once she did, it would be put to action immediately.

Mr Darcy and Elizabeth themselves found their second dance even more enjoyable than their first. They did not talk much, instead they spent the time gazing at each other and revelling in the moments that their hands touched.

When the set finished, they clapped with everyone else, and Darcy extended his arm to escort her into supper. She took it happily, and as they sat down, soon found themselves in a very vigorous conversation about the merits of certain breeds of sheep and the difference in their wool. Darcy was amazed to have found a woman who was more interested in the sheep he farmed and the grounds of Pemberley than the estate itself. If a woman ever asked about Pemberley, it was usually to request a description of the various rooms and parlours there. Indeed, the only room Elizabeth seemed interested in hearing about was the library. Her eyes shone as he described its magnificence to her. A small smile formed on his lips as he imagined them spending many hours there as husband and wife.

A few moments later, in the midst of their conversation, Mr Collins came up to them and promptly introduced himself to Mr Darcy, stating that he hoped he was remembered from the night at the Phillipses. Mr Darcy stared at him in unflattering disbelief. Mr Collins then went on to explain just whom he was, and began to praise Lady Catherine, Mr Darcy's cousin Anne, and Mr Darcy himself excessively. Elizabeth was deeply embarrassed, but also slightly amused, for she had heard Mr Darcy's honest opinion of his aunt just the day before. He then moved on to the subject of Elizabeth, much to her horror.

'I see that you have monopolised my cousin for the majority of the evening, but do not worry, I am not offended. I have resolved that as you show a preference, I shall not offer for her, and will instead console your dear aunt when you announce your engagement.'

'Mr Collins,' Mr Darcy said sharply. 'I do not remember discussing an engagement between myself and Miss Elizabeth with you, and I must entreat you not to spread such rumours, or I shall speak with my aunt myself and she if she cannot make do with another parson.' He glared at him, and Collins shrank before their very eyes. 'I am surprised that you can so make light of your cousin's reputation. Miss Elizabeth is a perfect gentlewoman, and I will not have you or anyone else slandering her.'

Mr Collins made a deep bow. 'My deepest apologies, sir. I was not implying –'

'I daresay I do not know what you were implying, but perhaps you should return to your seat before you make the mistake of damaging my good opinion of your extended family,' Mr Darcy said civilly.

Mr Collins mumbled something that sounded like another apology and sank into another deep bow before leaving them to speak with Charlotte Lucas, who would surely smooth his ruffled feathers.

Elizabeth bit her lip. 'I apologise for my cousin. I am afraid he often speaks out of turn, and must have been extremely excited to find someone in the neighbourhood that not only knows Lady Catherine, but is related to her as well.'

Mr Darcy smiled at her earnest apology and her embarrassment. He _was_ annoyed with her cousin, particularly because he had interrupted his discussion with Elizabeth, and had now created a rift of sorts between them. However, he was also amused that her simple cousin was the first (apart from Charlotte Lucas) to realise he was in love with Elizabeth.

'Do not apologise. I am not at all surprised my aunt chose him as her parson. He is just the type of person she likes, for he shall agree with everything she says.' Keen to soothe her feelings, he changed the subject. 'Have you tried the pheasant? It is quite delicious.'

'Mr Darcy!' Elizabeth said, flabbergasted.

'Yes, Miss Elizabeth?' he asked, smiling slightly.

'You cannot simply go from an embarrassing subject to discussing _pheasant_!'

'And why not?' he asked.

Elizabeth scrambled for words. 'Because – because …'

He smirked to see her so disconcerted. 'Very well. I shall return to it if it pleases you. Before your cousin so rudely interrupted us, I was about to ask whether you and Miss Bennet would like to stay at Pemberley with myself and Georgiana this Christmas. The Bingleys will be coming for New Year, so we shall be a large party then.'

Elizabeth stared at him blankly.

'Miss Elizabeth?' he asked, concerned.

'You would – you would invite us to your estate?'

Mr Darcy frowned at this. Why on earth would he not invite them to his estate? After spending time in the country and speaking more in depth with Elizabeth, he had come to the realisation that it was not your wealth or social standing that determined your worth as a person. He was amazed he had not realised it before. Why, he had two examples of people who were rich and had standing but were absolutely atrocious people in his life already. Caroline and his aunt! Whereas Miss Bennet, though poor, was one of the nicest people he had ever met, and reminded him slightly of Georgiana. And Elizabeth … after meeting her and speaking with her he could not imagine loving or marrying anyone else.

'I would be honoured to have you at Pemberley,' he replied at last.

She searched his face to determine if he meant it. After determining that he did, she replied hesitantly, 'Oh. But Jane is meant to visit my aunt and uncle in London at Christmas.'

'Excellent!' he exclaimed. 'Then you must invite them too.'

She looked at him in amusement. 'You are excited because it means you do not have to invite my parents,' she said archly.

'Perhaps,' he agreed with a smile. 'But I would like very much to meet your aunt and uncle.'

Elizabeth looked shocked. 'You – you do know that they are in trade?'

He flinched. 'Yes, and I would be honoured to meet them. Have you forgotten that Bingley's family was in trade at one point? There is nothing wrong with it, and I like him excessively.'

Elizabeth flushed, conceding the point. 'They have several little ones. I am sure you do not want –'

'Nonsense. Georgiana and I adore children. I am convinced they must come. Elizabeth, I _will_ have you say yes!'

She raised her eyebrows, but at his eager smile, she relented. 'Very well, Mr Darcy. We would be deeply honoured to join yourself and Georgiana for Christmas. I must say, I think you are turning into Mr Bingley, eager to please everyone!'

'I am eager to please _you_ , Miss Elizabeth. There is a difference,' he replied. She blushed.

'I say, Darcy! What are you and Miss Elizabeth discussing so animatedly?' Mr Bingley asked.

'This upcoming Christmas at Pemberley,' Darcy replied.

'Oh, yes!' Caroline swooned. 'Pemberley is such a fine estate; it must be so beautiful at Christmas! And to think we shall get to see it!'

'Oh the contrary, Miss Bingley. I shall be receiving you and your family at New Year, as I already have several guests engaged for Christmas this year.'

'And pray tell, who are these mysterious guests?' she asked, batting her eyelashes. Darcy smothered a laugh as he realised that she thought they were fashionable people of the Ton. How mistaken she was.

'The Bennets and the Gardiners. I daresay you shall meet them at New Year,' he added as Caroline sputtered.

He turned to Elizabeth to continue their private conversation. 'What date would be agreeable for you to arrive?'

'I am not sure, sir. I shall have to speak with my father about it. And write to my aunt and uncle, of course.'

'He will give his permission, will he not?' Darcy asked, suddenly worried.

Elizabeth smiled at his concern. 'I daresay if he refused, my mother would howl until he relented.'

Darcy smothered another laugh. 'Quite. On another note, you shall meet my cousin at Christmas.'

'Indeed? And is he like mine?'

'Not at all,' Darcy replied. 'He is a colonel, and very agreeable. I think he shall take a great shine to you.'

'Well, I have no fear of falling in love with him, even if he turns out to be a perfect gentleman. I have had quite enough of soldiers for one lifetime.'

Darcy smiled. 'You may eat your words when you meet him.'

Elizabeth merely arched a brow. Darcy returned to his supper, hoping fervently she would

still prefer him to Fitzwilliam come Christmas. He was half-hoping to propose at Pemberley, but still had no idea of her feelings. He knew she was warming up to him, but he also knew she would not accept him unless she loved him.

'Cheer up, Mr Darcy. You look quite miserable,' Elizabeth laughed.

'I am merely thinking you will enjoy my cousin's company much more than mine. He converses with great humour and ease.'

'I doubt that,' she said archly. 'And I thought you performed your best at Pemberley? I am looking forward to witnessing it.'

Darcy gave her a small smile and returned once again to picking at his food.

'Fitzwilliam,' she said quietly so no one could hear the improper address, 'what is wrong?'

Darcy swallowed. He had no idea how to confess his hopes and fears about having her at Pemberley in a month's time. Instead, her reverted to a more familiar topic, but no less important.

'I hope you will give Georgiana a chance. She is very keen to meet you. I know she is pronounced as proud by many, but she is simply very shy, especially after the events of Ramsgate. I hope very much the two of you can be friends, because her spirit was akin to yours at one time.'

'You are very kind, and you must inform her I am eager to make her acquaintance as well. Anyone who is dear to you, Mr Darcy, must be worth knowing.' She eyed him in concern. 'Is that all?'

It was nowhere close to what he was feeling, but not wanting to ruin the rest of Elizabeth's evening, he nodded and forced a smile.

'Now you have me worried,' she said.

He turned to look at her fully, surprised.

'I know a false smile when I see one, Fitzwilliam, and I have never seen you pretend to smile. Please tell me what is the matter.'

'I confess my heart is somewhat troubled,' he whispered.

She regarded him in some surprise. 'Have you set your heart on a lady, then?'

'Yes, but I am worried I will shortly lose her to another man,' he replied.

'She knows the real parts of you, does she not?'

'Yes,' he admitted.

He was gratified when she replied in a shocked tone, 'Then she is a fool if she chooses another man.'

'Thank you, Elizabeth.'

They fell into a companionable silence. It was an unfortunate time to do so, for they caught the tail end of Mrs Bennet's conversation with Lady Lucas.

'Oh, yes, my dear, I am certain they are to be married. Just think! My eldest, mistress of such a fine house! Why, she shall want for nothing. Mr Bingley is very amiable of course, but that is nothing compared to the fine carriages and jewels my Jane shall receive! I always knew she would make a good match, for she cannot be so beautiful for nothing.'

Elizabeth blushed in mortification at what Mr Darcy must be thinking of her and her family. Darcy himself was reflecting on the changes Elizabeth had wrought in him. There would have been a time where he would have been offended at Mrs Bennet's comments and implications,

and no doubt endeavoured to separate Jane and Bingley. Now, however, having been assured of Jane's affection by Elizabeth and the lady herself, he was content to ignore Mrs Bennet's enthusiasms and pass them off as comments any mother eager for her daughter to marry well would make.

'… my Lizzy I shall have a harder time marrying off. However, I daresay her cousin may offer soon. And of course, Jane and Bingley's being married will allow for the rest of my daughters to make good matches. And you, of course, Lady Lucas, must soon be just as fortunate with your dear Charlotte.' It was clear Mrs Bennet did not believe this, however.

No, what now offended Darcy was the clear implication that Mrs Bennet did not believe Elizabeth capable of a good match because she was not as beautiful as Jane. Darcy agreed that Jane had a certain classical beauty, but Elizabeth was indefinitely more attractive in his eyes. Besides, he wanted a wife that would not appreciate Pemberley as an estate, but as an outpost of the countryside's natural beauty, and he was sure Elizabeth would feel the same way about it as he did.

When supper was over, Darcy offered Elizabeth his arm, and they went to sit with Jane and Bingley while talk of some singing was discussed. Elizabeth lost no time in confiding Jane of Mr Darcy's plans. Jane was most agreeable as long as their aunt and uncle were happy with it. Elizabeth rather thought the incentive of seeing Mr Bingley again sooner than expected was the main motive behind it. Jane confided that Bingley had to travel to London tomorrow for some business, but would be back in a few days. Upon hearing this, Darcy suggested he go with Bingley, and perhaps call upon the Gardiners to extend a personal invitation to Pemberley.

Elizabeth was overwhelmed, amazed that he would even think about setting foot on Gracechurch-street, let alone for her. She was so caught up in the whirlwind of emotions this statement produced that she hardly noticed Mary making a foolish display of herself on the piano.

Mr Darcy did, however, and thought to himself with a sigh of how much he was willing to endure to gain Elizabeth's heart.

 **Poor Caroline, she just can't take a hint. Now she's out for revenge …**


	12. A Hasty Conference with Mr Bennet

**Here it is! The last of the promised five :) It's a relatively short one, sorry!**

 **I'm not sure when the next update will be because the next chapters aren't written yet :P Hopefully it will be soon! Thank you for all your reviews, you make my day 3**

Mrs Bennet had no doubt contrived for the Bennet family to have to wait another quarter hour for their carriage after all the other guests had gone. Darcy and Bingley did not mind this in the slightest, for it gave them a little extra time to talk with their ladies. It was clear that Miss Bingley was most peeved at the circumstances. She spoke to no one, only occasionally deigning to throw scornful glances in the direction of Mrs Bennet and the three youngest daughters, and angry ones in the direction of Darcy and Elizabeth, who, like Jane and Bingley, stood off to the side slightly.

After about five minutes of waiting and quiet discussion, Darcy said to Elizabeth, 'If you will excuse me, I must speak with your father about something.'

'Wickham?' Elizabeth asked worriedly.

Darcy merely smiled, and pressed her hand reassuringly. 'I will be back in a moment.'

He strode over to Mr Bennet, anxious as he saw a knowing smirk spread over the older gentleman's face.

'Might I have a word with you, Mr Bennet?'

'You may,' Mr Bennet said, amused.

Darcy waited, but he did not move out of the room. Suddenly realising who Elizabeth had received her impertinence from, he hid a smile and inquired, 'In private, sir?'

'Very well.'

They went out of the room together and walked in silence until they reached the library.

'So, you have finally come to ask for my daughter's hand,' Mr Bennet said after Darcy had closed the doors and turned back to face him.

Darcy's face was a picture. He gaped for a moment, and then closed his mouth, running a hand through his hair and pacing back and forth in an agitated manner. Mr Bennet watched him with amusement.

'Yes, I love Elizabeth, and I will ask for her hand.' It was Mr Bennet's turn to gape. He had suspected some regard on the gentleman's part, but not love. 'I have not yet, as I know she wishes to marry for affection, and I am not certain of hers.' Darcy stopped pacing. 'She will be cared for to the best of my ability. She will want for nothing.' Here, Mr Bennet snorted.

Darcy looked up at him in question.

'I am sure you realise Elizabeth is not the wife society expects of you.' Mr Bennet did not add that he did not wish to see his favourite's spirit crushed, but Darcy seemed to understand anyway.

'I would never do anything to take away her vivacity or impertinence. I enjoy talking and arguing with her very much. Forgive me for saying so, but I believe she needs someone who will challenge her, for her intelligence is very great. If she accepts me, I am very much looking forward to roaming the country with her. If I had wanted a society wife, who is a mindless creature, only interested in herself, counting her coins, and the next ball, I would have married /spanMiss Bingley or someone similar.'

Mr Bennet was impressed. 'Well, you have my consent, sir, as long as I am assured by Lizzy that she will be happy. I am sure I could not refuse a man of your standing anything. And I am sure that even if I did not give you my blessing, you would wait until she has reached her majority and spirit her away _then_.'

Mr Darcy smiled. 'You are quite correct, sir. But please do not speak to Elizabeth of it. I want to propose when I am as certain as I can be of her affections.' He paused. 'That is not all I wished to speak to you of.'

Mr Bennet was intrigued. 'Indeed? Is this about Wickham again? I have warned my family against him.'

'No. No, it is not, although I am glad to hear that. I have invited your two eldest daughters along with Mr and Mrs Gardiner to stay at Pemberley with my sister and I over Christmas. I hope you will grant your permission for that too, sir. My cousin will also be there, and the Bingleys will join us over New Year, so we shall not be a small party.'

'Fanny will be ecstatic,' Mr Bennet said drily.

Mr Darcy took this as assent, and laughed.

* * *

When the carriage arrived back at Longbourn, Mr Bennet immediately requested Elizabeth's presence in his study.

'Is anything wrong, Papa?' she asked with a concerned frown.

'Not at present, my dear. I was simply informed by your Mr Darcy that he has invited you and Jane to Pemberley. I have given my permission, but I want your view on the matter.'

'He is not _my_ Mr Darcy, Papa,' Elizabeth said, blushing fiercely, but she followed her father to his study all the same.

She sat in front of his desk as he looked at her expectantly. 'Well?'

'Well what, Papa?'

'What is your opinion on the man, Lizzy?' he asked impatiently. 'I assume you no longer dislike him, as you spent most of this evening with him!'

Elizabeth flushed, and twisted her hands in her lap. 'I was wrong about him, Papa. He is not proud, he is merely shy. The pride he does have is good pride, like his pride in his estate. He is dreadfully kind, especially when Jane and I were staying at Netherfield. We have many similar views and interests, and he is the first man I have met that is not affronted or intimidated by my love of nature and books and my knowledge of how an estate works. He is intelligent and has a great sense of humour once you get to know him. He is dreadfully handsome, and his dimples –' Elizabeth stopped short, slapping her hands over her mouth in mortification. 'Forgive me, Papa, I should not have –'

Mr Bennet was most amused. 'I take this to mean you would accept him if he offered for you?'

Elizabeth hesitated. 'Well, yes, perhaps. I am not quite sure of my feelings yet, but perhaps that is a good thing, for he shall never offer for me, Papa.'

'You sound so certain,' Mr Bennet said, raising his eyebrows.

'He informed me this evening that his heart was engaged already,' she whispered.

'Well, perhaps he was trying to drop a few hints,' Mr Bennet said slyly.

'Oh, Papa, do not put such thoughts in my head! No, I am resolved that we shall be great friends only.'

'Do not count your chickens before they hatch, Lizzy. Now, I am off to bed. Goodnight, my dear.' Mr Bennet left the study abruptly, leaving Elizabeth to try and puzzle through the end of their conversation. Still confused, she left for bed and to find Jane five minutes later.


	13. Mr Collins Creates a Stir

**Another long chapter for you lovely people :) Thanks for waiting! I am hoping to finish most of the story before updating again. Hopefully that will not take too long, as I have quite a bit written. Enjoy this one!**

 **alix33: Thanks again! I have corrected those mistakes. I should really start crediting you as my beta ;)**

The next few days were torturous to Elizabeth. She was missing Darcy desperately, even though he had only just gone to town, and was furious with herself because of it. They had barely known each other for over a month! Wickham had also tried to call at Longbourn several times, but had been barred from the house. To top it all, she had had an unwelcome, lengthy lecture from Mr Collins on her unsuitability as a wife for Mr Darcy. He assured her that he would be informing Lady Catherine of their relationship, even though Elizabeth denied every semblance of an understanding with Mr Darcy. Fed up, she had gone to see Charlotte, who had promptly informed her that she was emengaged/em to that toad of a man. Engaged! Elizabeth was starting to fear for the sanity of everyone around her.

At last, Mr Collins left Longbourn, to the great relief of everyone there. Mrs Bennet had spent a day confined to her room, swooning over the 'slight' he had paid to their family by not proposing to any of her daughters. She had not spoken to Lady Lucas in three days, and Elizabeth wondered how long it would last, as her mother would soon miss having a friend to gossip with.

Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley had still not returned to Hertfordshire. Elizabeth worried at this, especially when the family received a letter from Mr Collins. Mr Bennet read it aloud at the dinner table.

 _Mr Bennet,_

 _I write to thank you for your most generous hospitality, as promised. You may already be aware of my engagement to one of your lovely neighbours, Miss Charlotte Lucas._

Here, Mrs Bennet sniffed.

 _She is everything I could want in a wife, most sensible and kind. Lady Catherine, too, is very pleased with my choice, and indeed expressed her desire that I marry as soon as possible when I dined at Rosings last night. On the subject of her nephew, we spoke very little. I have not yet informed her of the upcoming nuptials of her dearest nephew and my cousin Elizabeth, as I took her words to heart and will not speak until it is confirmed. I wrote, therefore, to Mr Darcy himself, to confirm the matter and allow me to convey my congratulations and regrets to Lady Catherine, as he will no longer be betrothed to his cousin Anne de Bourg. I hope to receive his reply before long._

Elizabeth was mortified. What would Mr Darcy think of her? Perhaps that was why he and Mr Bingley had not returned – did he believe she was spreading rumours about an understanding that had not even taken place?

 _Because of my great joy and thankfulness in the felicity Miss Lucas has given me, and my most esteemed patroness's desires that I marry soon, I should hope you will allow me to return to Longbourn on Monday fortnight. This will allow me sufficient time with my lovely betrothed to make all the necessary preparations. Lady Catherine is so pleased with my choice that she is hosting a celebratory supper in our honour when we return to Hunsford as man and wife. My dear Charlotte has expressed her earnest desire to meet Lady Catherine, and I will of course make it my mission to have this occur as often as possible. I add only once again how happy I am with my choice of bride, and you must convey my thanks to Miss Elizabeth for introducing us._

 _Your most sincere cousin,_

 _Mr Collins_

' _Well!_ ' Mrs Bennet fumed. 'I really do not see why he has to stay here. Why can they not put him up at Lucas Lodge? It really is most ungrateful and inconvenient of him.'

'I assume he wishes to reside in the house that will one day be his, madam,' Mr Bennet said.

'Well, yes, but really. To have to have the house ready again in a fortnight! My nerves shall hardly stand it!'

* * *

Darcy was quite fed up with London, and would be perfectly happy to leave right this instant. They had been in Town for almost a week now. Darcy's purpose in going to Town had been concluded the very day after they had arrived, for he had called on the Gardiners immediately the next day. They had been surprised, but very happy to accept his invitation, especially as Mrs Gardiner had lived in Lambton in her youth. Darcy was equally surprised and happy that they were very amiable, and much more like he would have imagined Elizabeth's parents. How he wished they were!

He had spent a pleasant morning discussing fishing and business with Mr Gardiner, and Elizabeth with Mrs Gardiner. He had been momentarily embarrassed when, at almost the start of their conversation, she had remarked, 'You are very fond of my niece are you not, Mr Darcy?'

He had blushed profusely and stammered something about already having Mr Bennet's consent.

Now he was pacing his study, waiting for Bingley, whom he had sent an urgent note to. Bingley had insisted on staying in Town a further two days, as Caroline had several commitments she 'absolutely could not miss'. Darcy was half-amused and half-exasperated by how easily Charles was duped by her.

Bingley entered his study with a beaming smile. 'Well, Darcy, what on earth is the matter?'

'I want to leave Town, Bingley. Today.'

'That just is not possible, I am afraid.'

'Tomorrow, then,' Darcy said impatiently.

Bingley looked apologetic. 'I am sorry, Darcy. I know you want to get back to Miss Elizabeth, and Heaven knows I want to get back to Jane –' Darcy did not correct him for his slip, knowing it would be hypocritical when he himself took so much enjoyment in calling Elizabeth by her first name. '– but Caroline –'

'– is trying to keep you here so you will not return to Hertfordshire,' Darcy finished for him.

Bingley gaped. 'Darcy … no, Caroline would not be so – so –'

'Spiteful? Scheming? Bingley, if you cannot see that she does not want you to marry Miss Bennet, you are a fool indeed.'

'But – but she always got on so well with Jane. I thought she liked her.'

'Oh, she may like her, certainly. But liking someone and thinking they are a good match for their brother is a different matter entirely. I beg you to see reason, Bingley.'

'Very well. I shall tell her we are leaving, but it is your fault if we have to put up with her sulking tomorrow! I still cannot believe … but if you think so, perhaps I should speak with her.'

'Yes, do that,' Darcy said, relieved.

'Incidentally, you do not think me a fool to marry Jane? I have your blessing?'

'Do you need it?' Darcy asked, amused.

'No, but I should like it all the same.'

'Well, you have it, for it would be fairly hypocritical of me to try and separate you. Besides, I have it on good authority your affections are returned.'

Bingley beamed, and then frowned, looking puzzled. 'Hypocritical? Why … oh, Darcy old man!' Bingley looked delighted. 'It is Miss Elizabeth, is it not?'

Darcy blushed. 'Yes. I am surprised you have only just realised. Apparently it has been quite obvious.'

'Says who?' Bingley said, frowning.

Darcy laughed. 'Quite a few people, in fact. I believe you have been too wrapped up with your Miss Bennet to notice. Mr Collins wrote to me about it.'

Bingley guffawed. 'And told the whole neighbourhood, I expect.'

'Yes, well.' Darcy frowned. 'That is partly why I would like to return soon.'

'And so we shall. Tomorrow!' Bingley clasped his hand and left the room with a cheerful adieu.

Darcy sighed, and sat behind his desk, fingering the small parcel in his coat pocket. When he had been taking his morning walk a few days ago, he had caught sight of a pretty hair comb that had reminded him irresistibly of Elizabeth, and so he had bought it, hoping to give it to her as a gift at some point. Perhaps even when they returned to Hertfordshire.

If he was honest with himself, if he had bought everything that had reminded him of her these past few days it would have been enough to fill several rooms at Pemberley. Closing his eyes, he smiled, and drifted off into dreams of unruly chestnut curls, dancing eyes, and teasing smiles.

* * *

To the mingled relief and apprehension of all parties concerned, it quickly spread around the neighbourhood that the Bingleys and Mr Darcy had returned to Netherfield. Indeed, the day had hardly passed before the gentlemen themselves were observed riding up the path to Longbourn. There was a flurry of excited activity in the house. Mrs Bennet was busy pulling at Jane and Elizabeth's hair and clothes to make them look more respectable. Mr Collins's letter had served the purpose to convince her that Mr Darcy was certain to offer for Elizabeth. She was surprised at his choice (would not Lydia make a better wife?) but it could not be helped.

When the gentlemen were announced, the parlour was the picture of propriety and tranquility. All the ladies rose from pretending to read or embroider, and curtsied to the gentlemen.

'Oh, Mr Bingley,' Mrs Bennet said before greetings could be exchanged. 'I am so glad you have returned. Why, the neighbourhood quite worried you had lost your way! I am so happy you have not forgotten poor Jane.'

Elizabeth and Jane blushed at their mother's display.

Mr Bingley looked unsure of what to say. 'Oh. Well – that is to say, I do not think I could forget Miss Bennet.' He then blushed.

Mr Darcy stepped into the awkward silence that had fallen, remarking somewhat stiffly, 'This is a lovely room, madam.'

Mrs Bennet looked shocked, but gathered herself quickly, remembering he was a prospective partner for Elizabeth. 'Why, thank you Mr Darcy.'

Silence fell again. Elizabeth glanced at Mr Darcy. His eyes were fixed on her, and he held her gaze for a moment before looking away. His expression was unreadable. She fidgeted uncomfortably, remembering what had been in Mr Collins's letter.

'Well,' Mrs Bennet said cheerfully. 'It is a lovely day, why do you not all go for a walk?'

'Oh, but Mamma –' Lydia began.

'Go on now, and show these gentleman some of the countryside.'

In the end, everyone but Mary traipsed outdoors. Elizabeth ended up on the arm of Mr Darcy with Kitty on the other. As they followed Jane, Bingley and Lydia towards Oakham Mount, Kitty, who appeared terrified of the gentleman, quickly skipped off to loop her arm through Lydia's.

Darcy and Elizabeth walked in silence until she could bear it no longer. 'Mr Darcy,' she said hastily. 'I fear I must apologise for my cousin –'

'Yes, he wrote to me.' Darcy did not sound stern, but she did not dare look at him to check.

'I am terribly sorry for the liberty he took, and for what he implied –'

'Elizabeth,' Darcy said, drawing to a halt. 'I wrote to him at once informing him that if he spread any rumours at all I would see to it that he is no longer a member of my aunt's parish.'

Elizabeth swallowed. 'I am sorry for the mortification his words must have given you.'

'Elizabeth, I did not write to him so for myself. I thought only of you.'

'You are very kind.'

'Elizabeth, you do understand that should he have spread those rumours, you would have been forced to marry me?'

'Yes,' she said. It did not sound such a bad thing to her, but he made it sound as though it were a disgusting proposition. 'And I am glad you found a way out of such an undesirable match for you.'

'Miss Bennet!' She looked up at him then, startled at the anger in his voice. He was glaring at her, running an agitated hand through his dark curls. 'This is what you think of me? I only behaved thus because I do not wish to see you forced into anything, least of all with me. If any understanding ever occurs between us, I want it to be because you wish it!'

'It does not signify if I wish it or not, for such an understanding can never occur between us!'

In a move that shocked both of them, he took her face in his hands. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he muttered something under his breath that might have been a curse.

'You are a maddening, maddening woman!' he said heatedly.

He strode away up the path before she could retort.

* * *

Although Mr Darcy always joined Mr Bingley when he visited Longbourn, he and Elizabeth did not speak again except for society's expected pleasantries. She missed the easy friendship they had had before he went to London with Mr Bingley, and before her cousin had ruined it all. She often felt his eyes on her, but did not return his gaze, for fear of exciting her mother as she had done once before that week. She had returned Darcy's stare in a fit of impertinence, and found herself locked in his dark eyes, unable to look away. They had gazed at each other for the best part of quarter of an hour, and it had not gone unnoticed by the other members of the room.

Blushing now as she remembered it, she focused more determinedly on her needlework, /spanaware as ever of his intense gaze. Mr Collins was to arrive at Longbourn in a few days, and Elizabeth felt sure Darcy would stop calling then, to back up his reply to Mr Collins. And soon after that she would be facing a fortnight in close company with him!

On the last day before Mr Collins was to arrive, by some happenstance Mr Darcy and Elizabeth had been left alone in the parlour for a few minutes. Unable to stand the tension, Elizabeth rose from her seat, mumbling something about fetching another book from her father's study.

Mr Darcy caught her wrist before she could leave. Her breath hitched at the contact and the small tingles of electricity she felt running up her arm. Did he feel it too? Her eyes met his. He was looking at her intensely, an earnest expression in his eyes.

'Elizabeth,' he murmured.

She swallowed. He had not called her that since the day they had argued, if it could be called an argument.

'I do not want us to continue this way, especially not at Christmas,' he said quietly. 'I apologise for any offence I gave you.'

Shame filled her. 'I was the one who gave offence,' she said. 'I should be the one to apologise.'

He squeezed her wrist lightly where he held it still. 'Shall we agree to disagree, Miss Bennet?' He was smiling, and she could not help a small one of her own from starting.

Encouraged, he dropped her wrist to fumble in an inner pocket of his jacket. 'I bought this for you in London,' he said hesitantly, his eyes searching hers for any reprimand. Finding none, he pressed an elegantly wrapped box into her hand.

Shocked, but secretly delighted at the implication he had thought of her in his absence, she unwrapped it gingerly. Inside the velvet box was a delicate hair comb. The teeth were made of thin, spindly silver. The head of the comb was an amazingly intricate swallow bird with its wings spread wide in a dive. It too, was silver, with two small, brilliant sapphires in the place of the eyes. Elizabeth traced her fingers over it reverently. She was startled to find a lump in her throat. The fact that this kind man had bought her a gift, after knowing that she had hated him earlier in their acquaintance, and knowing that they were merely friends, left her with a strange sense of loss. She quickly realised that, selfishly, she did not want to share his kindness and generosity with his future spouse.

'Elizabeth?' he asked in concern. 'Do you not like it? Is it too much? Was it too presumptuous –?'

Keen to put a stop to his nervous ramblings, she smiled and set it down on the table, taking his hands in hers. 'Thank you, Fitzwilliam. It is beautiful, but you truly did not have to.'

'I wanted to,' he said, looking so much like a petulant child that she threw her arms about him suddenly. Blushing at her forwardness, even though they had embraced before, she tried to draw away slightly, but he would not let her.

She hesitated before relaxing in his arms. 'I missed you,' she said softly before she could think better of it, just before the door opened to admit the rest of the Bennets. Elizabeth and Darcy immediately parted to a respectful distance. Elizabeth hid her new hair comb amongst her skirts, not wanting her mother commenting on it or Mr Darcy.

If she had glanced at Darcy, she would have noticed his delighted expression.


	14. Mr Collins's Return

**Sorry for the complete radio silence for these past few weeks! My computer, being a Mac, decided to tell me that my storage is completely full and that I can't write any more, despite there being next to nothing on my hard drive. I'll spare you the details because unless you're a tech nerd like me you'll be bored to death, but long story short, I had to manually erase my entire hard drive and back it up from a separate hard drive. Usually I love computers but I'm 99% sure Apple installs something in theirs to make sure something spontaneously combusts after your warranty has expired … last year my family had to pay a fortune to replace my battery because it had stopped working 3 weeks after the warranty had expired!**

 **All our stuff from Canada finally arrived this week after THREE MONTHS as well, so I've been unpacking kitchenware and clothes for the past few days!**

 **Anyway, back to the story. Wow! Over 100 favs! You guys are awesome :) I know this story isn't to the taste of everyone, but I wrote it for myself for a lark before deciding to share and continue it. I often wish that the real Darcy and Elizabeth did not have to conform to Regency rules and society all the time; hence their "inappropriate" behaviour here. But that's the merit of fanfiction!**

 **I'm not going to try and please everyone, because that's nearly impossible, so for those of you who just want to read some Darcy/Elizabeth romance & fluff (and a teeny bit of angst) then this is for you! If you want proper Regency etiquette I can tell you now, if you haven't already realised, that this story isn't for you!**

 **LovetoRead613: Sorry to disappoint about the lack of accuracy and realism! As for Mr Collins, he is currently trying to determine (in his simple and befuddled state of mind, I will admit) who it would serve him best to side with. I think we all know who he'll pick in the end though … poor him - trying to appease both the aunt and the nephew never works ;)**

 **Thank you again for all your reviews and criticisms! You help make my story better :)**

 **With the help of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mrs Gardiner, Elizabeth should soon begin to see the light … (she's so determined not to believe Darcy!)**

Mr Collins's return brought mixed feelings to the neighbourhood. Mrs Bennet was still furious at what she perceived as his slight to their family by not choosing one of her girls as his wife. Elizabeth, while pleased Charlotte would now not move into spinsterhood, wished desperately she had not accepted so odious a man. She was also again missing the presence of one Fitzwilliam Darcy, who had ceased calling with Mr Bingley. She knew it was for the best, as neither of them wished false allegations to be spread amongst their friends and family.

She pulled herself together with the notion that she had been perfectly fine without male company before Mr Darcy had entered the neighbourhood, and would continue to be whilst he was here, or at least until Christmas. And so it was with a new spring in her step that she set off on her morning walk, her breath coming in small clouds in the crisp December air. Her feet took her on her usual path towards Oakham Mount out of habit. When she reached the top, however, she was surprised to find it already claimed by a tall, commanding figure surveying the landscape.

Her heart fluttered, but she tried to suppress it. 'Fancy seeing you here, Mr Darcy.'

'Miss Bennet.' He smiled widely, a smile she had not seen since the dance at Netherfield Ball. 'And how are you this morning?'

'Well, thank you. And yourself?'

'Exceedingly well, now.'

Elizabeth blushed. They were silent for a few moments, before he spoke again, hesitantly.

'Miss Bennet, I wanted … this morning, I – have you forgiven me?'

'There was nothing to forgive.'

He frowned at that, running an agitated hand through his hair. 'I spoke to you in a most ungentlemanly manner, and handled you – I did not mean to touch you without your consent, Elizabeth. Especially not while I was angry.'

'You have already apologised, Mr Darcy. You need not do so again,' she said, amused.

She was surprised by the earnestness in his eyes. 'I fear I must, Elizabeth. I require your forgiveness in all things.'

She frowned, puzzled. 'Well, you have it, sir.'

He smiled, satisfied, and then sobered. 'I fear I shall not be able to call upon you until we are to depart for Pemberley.'

Elizabeth's lips twitched. 'No. Mr Collins has quite taken over Longbourn at the moment.'

Darcy half-smiled, and took her hand, placing a lingering kiss on the back of it. 'I shall see you in three days, Elizabeth.'

He lingered for a moment more before heading off down the footpath. As Elizabeth watched him go, she feared more and more each time they met that he took another piece of her heart with him.

* * *

'– and, my dear cousin, even if Mr Darcy _were_ to offer for you, you would surely not be accepted in his society. No, I think it best to merely be polite to him. After all, he does you a great honour seeking you out at the ball, but it is wise not to read more into it than that. Lady Catherine herself is often telling me –'

Elizabeth tuned out as Mr Collins droned on and on. Ever since he had returned to Longbourn, he had taken it upon himself to instruct her as to how to comport herself around Mr Darcy, and she was quite fed up.

Quite rudely, and without a thought for his feelings or any of the other members of the house, she got up and fled into the gardens before he could finish his speech.

As the days dragged on, Mr Collins began to take the hint, and spent less time at Longhorn, and more time at Lucas Lodge, much to the relief of all the residents of Longbourn. At last, the twentieth of December arrived, and with it, Mr Darcy, looking impeccably handsome. He was patient with Mrs Bennet, Lydia, and Kitty's exclamations, and Mr Collins's endless ramblings, and spent most of the time speaking of books with Mr Bennet as they waited for Jane and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had taken extra care in her appearance that morning, making sure every curl was pressed carefully into place. The mass of curls at the back of her head was held together with the comb Mr Darcy had bought her in London, and she was wearing a warm blue dress and woollen pelisse.

'Oh, do hurry, Lizzy, or we shall be late!' Jane said, hurrying back into their room. 'You look wonderful. Now do come _on_!'

They were to stop in London and stay overnight at the Gardiners' before continuing on to Pemberley on the morrow. Mr Darcy would, of course, be staying at his Townhouse with his sister, but he had graciously invited them all to dine there that evening.

Darcy turned at the sound of hurried footsteps from inside the house. Jane and Elizabeth appeared on the doorstep, flushed and smiling. His insides squirmed happily as he noticed the hair comb nestled in Elizabeth's chestnut curls.

'That is a lovely hair comb, madam,' he murmured as he kissed her hand in greeting. She blushed slightly, smirking at his teasing. He was becoming quite proficient.

'Be good, now, Lizzy,' Mr Bennet said as she hugged him goodbye. 'I am certain you shall have a lovely time, and will return a very happy woman.'

'Whatever do you mean, Papa?' Elizabeth asked curiously, but he merely smiled and ushered he towards her mother, who immediately began enthusing on how many rich and eligible gentlemen they would meet, seemingly forgetting that it was to be a family party, and that Elizabeth and Jane were already quite attached to certain gentlemen of their acquaintance. Sighing, Elizabeth bade her mother and three younger sisters goodbye, promising to bring them all something from Lambton when she returned. Mrs Bennet cheered up at this, and bid her goodbye quite cheerfully.

Mr Darcy helped her up into the carriage with a sympathetic, knowing smile, before assisting Jane, and swinging up behind them. Elizabeth waved frantically as the carriage started down the lane, before realising with a blush of mortification that it was not polite to do so in society, especially not in front of a gentleman. She caught Darcy's eye as she settled back in her seat. He was grinning from ear to ear. Jane promptly gazed out of the window, becoming immediately interested in the barren trees rolling past the carriage, a knowing smile on her face.

 **I hope to update at least once a week from now on! If not, you have my permission to nag until I do! :P (I may regret saying that)**


	15. The Darcy Townhouse

**When I promised to update weekly, I completely forgot this week was half term. I've been on holiday, so I apologise for no updates! The next few chapters should be up relatively quickly :)**

 **Tiffyburger: Darcy wasn't calling because Mr Collins had just returned to Longbourn and he wanted to reinforce the point that he and Elizabeth are not secretly courting or engaged, so Mr Collins does not go running to tell Lady Catherine. Elizabeth was already fairly certain this would happen. (I don't know if I emphasised that) He was apologising for the time they had all walked out together in Chapter 13 and he touched her face. Hope that explains it!**

 **alix33: That's awful, I'm sorry to hear that. And yes, I'm sure that's how Elizabeth is feeling – it's how I'd feel, anyway! Who'd want to visit Mr Collins?**

December 21

The Darcy carriage arrived in Gracechurch-street at a reasonable hour in the afternoon. The Gardiners were waiting eagerly on the front steps, and their four children promptly dashed down the stairs upon spotting the carriage despite the protestations of their mother and father. As Mr Darcy handed Elizabeth and Jane down from the carriage, they hugged them enthusiastically, fawning over Jane especially.

The two young boys looked up at the impressive figure of Mr Darcy in awe. He could not help a small smile from adorning his face, and promptly bowed slightly and held out his hand for them to shake. Elizabeth was astonished, but giggled, greatly amused, as her cousins regarded him curiously and then each shook his hand tentatively as she introduced him. 'Edward and Sam, this is Mr Darcy.'

The eldest girl, of only eight years, curtsied prettily, and her sister attempted the same, rather clumsily. 'This is Miss Margaret and Miss Emma,' Elizabeth informed Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy took to Emma at once, for she reminded him much of Georgiana at her age. He kissed her tiny hand gallantly, causing her to blush profusely, and Margaret to laugh at her sister, not unkindly.

'And you have of course met my aunt and uncle,' she continued, as Darcy escorted the six of them up the front steps.

'Yes. It is a pleasure to see you once more, madam. Sir. I am afraid I cannot stay long, for my sister is expecting me, but I am assured I can count on your presence at supper this evening?'

'Why thank you. That would be lovely,' Mrs Gardiner said. 'But, of course, you must go to your sister. We shall not delay you any longer.'

Darcy bowed, and hesitated before placing a gentle kiss on the back of Elizabeth's hand. She blushed at his attentions in front of her relations, no less, and watched him walk down the steps and enter the confines of his carriage once more. She caught his eye through the carriage window and saw a pleased smile appear on his face. Flushing, she followed her aunt and uncle inside.

She was immediately confronted by her aunt, who took her to one side, and wished to know the details of a courtship that was not even taking place.

'To be sought out by such a gentleman is an honour, Lizzy. Do not be so quick to dismiss him, or his feelings.'

'Aunt, we are simply good friends,' Elizabeth said uncomfortably.

Mrs Gardiner looked at her half in exasperation, half in pity. 'Mark my words, Lizzy, good friends do not invite their lady friend's extended family to their estates for Christmas. Especially not rich men, who must be seen to marry well. That man is in love with you, Lizzy, whether you like it or not.'

Elizabeth flushed. 'Aunt – it is as you said, he must be seen to marry well, and I am not of his sphere. It is therefore an impossibility.'

Mrs Gardiner sighed. 'Oh, you are a silly chit,' she said affectionately. 'Let us get you dressed for this evening, shall we?'

* * *

Darcy, meanwhile, had arrived at the Darcy Townhouse, and was busy greeting Georgiana. Upon his entrance to the drawing room she had smiled happily, pleased and excited to see her brother once more. Longing to run to him and embrace him tightly, but knowing he did not readily accept shows of affection, she was most surprised when he crossed the room to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

Darcy was also surprised at himself, but meeting Elizabeth and learning to accept his love for her had opened up the floodgates of emotions he had kept repressed since his father had died. He had been filled with brotherly affection upon the sight of his doting sister, and could not help himself from embracing her.

'How are you, Georgie? I have missed you dearly!'

'Brother, are you quite all right?' Georgiana asked, looking up at her brother.

He smiled happily. 'I am perfectly fine, Georgiana. Now, do tell me all that has been going on since your last letter.'

Georgiana gazed at her brother, quite flabbergasted. She had not seen him so excited or animated since … in fact she could not think of a time she had seen him so. 'Brother, do tell me what is the matter,' she pleaded. 'You are quite out of sorts. Has something happened?'

'Nothing has happened, Georgie,' he reassured her. 'I am simply looking forward to this Christmas.'

Georgiana paled. They had not celebrated Christmas since their parents had died. She knew that they were to have guests this year, and while she had met the Bingleys and the Hursts before, she had never met the other members of the party, and was quite nervous about it. She did not particularly like Miss Bingley or Mrs Hurst either, for they always made her feel so uncomfortable, but she understood her brother had to put up with them for Mr Bingley's sake.

Darcy, guessing correctly the source of her mood, took her hands. 'My dear Georgiana, do not fret. They are nothing like Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, I assure you. You will like them immensely. In fact, I have invited them here for supper tonight, so you can get to know them a little beforehand.'

Georgiana's hands trembled slightly within his. Hatred towards George Wickham surged in his breast, but his heart swelled with affection for his sister.

'My sweet girl, I have the utmost faith in you,' he said softly. 'You will be an admirable hostess.'

'Will – will you tell me about them, Fitzwilliam?'

'Certainly,' he said with a smile, sitting next to her on a small sofa. 'I have only met the Gardiners twice, but they are very kind, amiable people. They are a handsome couple, and their children are very sweet. Miss Bennet is very quiet and extraordinarily kind and good. She reminds me much of you. Miss Elizabeth,' a smile graced his lips, 'is very clever and witty, and extremely impertinent. I daresay you will like her very much.'

'Is she very pretty, Fitzwilliam?'

Darcy blinked, and looked at Georgiana in surprise. 'What?'

Georgiana half-smiled. 'Is Miss Elizabeth very pretty?'

'Yes, I daresay she is extremely pretty indeed. What makes you say that?'

'Only the daydream look you had in your eye, Fitzwilliam,' said Georgiana.

He flushed deeply, staring at her wide-eyed, amazed at her cheek.

Georgiana blushed, ashamed of herself. 'I am sorry, brother, I did not mean –'

'It is quite all right, Georgie,' Darcy said quickly, recovering from the shock. 'I do intend to offer for her, with your blessing, of course.'

Georgiana was surprised. 'Do you need my blessing?'

'I suppose not, but she would be your sister, and I would like for the two of you to get along.'

Georgiana wrung her hands. 'Oh! Do you think she will like me?'

'I daresay she will, Georgie. And in any case, do you not think she will be thinking the same about you?'

* * *

When Elizabeth descended from the carriage in front of the Darcy townhouse that evening, she was in awe. It was a beautifully constructed building, and terribly grand, although in a refined way. She thought it rather like the man himself.

'And this is not even Pemberley!' she murmured to herself.

Mrs Gardiner overheard. 'Pemberley is indeed a beautiful estate, Lizzy. You are a very lucky young lady.'

'Aunt!' Elizabeth could not believe why she was acting like her mother all of a sudden.

Smiling, Mrs Gardiner ascended the stairs. Elizabeth followed arm in arm with Jane, scowling.

When they entered the townhouse, the true extent of Wickham's lies was revealed. Standing next to Mr Darcy was a tall, handsome girl looking extremely nervous. She greeted them all timidly, looking at her brother for reassurance. He squeezed her arm comfortingly.

'May I introduce my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.'

Elizabeth, Jane, and Mrs Gardiner curtsied prettily, all sending her reassuring smiles. This seemed to put her slightly at ease, for their smiles were genuine, most unlike the sickly, plastered ones of Miss Bingley. Mr Gardiner bowed, also smiling. The children had been left at home to rest for the long journey tomorrow, and so as not to overwhelm Miss Darcy all at once.

After a flurry of introductions, Elizabeth approached Georgiana where she was standing a little to one side apart from her brother, who was now conversing with Mr Gardiner.

'Miss Darcy, it is a pleasure to meet you at last,' Elizabeth said, smiling. 'Your brother has told me quite bit about you.'

'Oh! He has told me much about you as well,' Georgiana said hesitantly.

'Indeed! Not all bad things, I hope?'

'Oh, no! Fitzwilliam is most kind. He would never say a harsh word about you. Most of his letters had at least some pleasant description of you in them!' Georgiana, Elizabeth, and Darcy (overhearing) promptly blushed upon this accidental revelation. 'Forgive me, Miss Elizabeth, I spoke out of turn.'

'No, you must forgive me, Miss Darcy, for I was simply teasing you. I am afraid to say it is a great fault of mine.'

'Fitzwilliam did say you were impertinent, but he did not seem to think it was a fault,' Georgiana said confidingly.

'Did he?' Elizabeth said, and they both turned to look at him. 'Pray tell, what other things did he say about me?' He caught their eyes and half smiled.

'Come, Georgiana. If you continue in this manner I shall have hardly any secrets left by the end of the evening!'

'It is your own fault for being so open with me, brother.'

'I cannot help it, Georgie,' he said, grinning. 'But I shall thank you not to tell tales of me to Miss Elizabeth!'

'I shall promise to try, brother.'

He sighed. 'That shall have to do. May I escort you both to supper?'

They each took one of his extended arms with a smile, and were followed by Jane and the Gardiners into the dining parlour.

Supper was a great success. Elizabeth spent most of the evening getting to know Georgiana, and drawing her out of her shell. Once she had gotten past some of her shyness, Elizabeth had been delighted to discover that Georgiana had a hidden impertinent side to her as well, and they spent a good part of the meal giggling amongst themselves about a certain Caroline Bingley and her apparent liking for Darcy, feathers, and the colour orange.

Elizabeth had left the townhouse with her family, pleased and happy to have found a fellow spirit, leaving behind a thrilled Darcy who beheld for the first time since Ramsgate his sister with colour in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eye.

 **Next chapter: Pemberley! (Finally!)**


	16. Arrival at Pemberley

**Sorry once again for the long absence! I'll make it up to you, I promise ;)**

 **I've just been to visit my grandparents, who apart from being real life versions of Mr and Mrs Bennet, also live in Derbyshire, so double the inspiration!**

 **(Anything you recognise in this chapter is Jane Austen's)**

* * *

December 23

The journey to Pemberley was long and uneventful, but was all worth it in Elizabeth's opinion when Darcy ordered the carriages to be stopped and escorted them all to a portion of the road that overlooked the house.

She could not keep herself from gasping. The house was enormous, and extremely beautiful, surrounded by the most exquisite countryside. It did not seem to have been tailored excessively either; rather it had appeared to have been left mostly to its natural state, something she was extremely pleased by. As she surveyed the impressive grounds, she could now see that Darcy did indeed have something to be proud of. To be master of all of this must be something indeed.

'You like Pemberley, then, Miss Elizabeth?' Darcy asked.

'I have never seen a place so happily situated.'

Darcy smiled, pleased. Elizabeth turned to look at both him and Georgiana, surprised and a little amused to see both brother and sister looking much more relaxed now they were in familiar surroundings. Now she knew them better, she could easily see how their reserved natures could be mistaken as haughty pride, and was glad that she had come to know them well enough to know better.

As they walked back to the carriages, Elizabeth heard her aunt and Mr Darcy in deep discussion about Lambton, and a certain chestnut tree. Mr Darcy was explaining that he had used to run to that same tree in Lambton and back to Pemberley when he was young, and Elizabeth was both amused and enchanted by this picture.

They all climbed back into the carriages and set off once more, approaching the house within five minutes or so. A rather rugged, handsome looking fellow in uniform was standing outside the front steps, waiting for them. Elizabeth, Jane and the Gardiners eyed this new addition with some curiosity as they descended from their carriage.

'Cousin Fitzwilliam!' Georgiana exclaimed happily, throwing herself into his arms with youthful abandon.

The Colonel laughed and swung her around. 'How are you, Georgie?'

'Very well, thank you.'

He set her on her feet and turned to Darcy, who said, 'We were not expecting you for another day or two!'

The Colonel grinned amicably. 'I know, but I decided to take a few extra days leave and surprise you all.' He gaze turned to Elizabeth and Jane, and his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. 'And who are these lovely young ladies?' He made an exaggerated bow and kissed each of their hands gallantly.

Darcy cleared his throat, glaring at his cousin, while Elizabeth and Jane giggled.

'Oh, do relax, Darcy. Can a man not enjoy the company of two beautiful ladies when he has been so deprived for months on end?'

Darcy scowled deeply, but Elizabeth saw that the corner of his mouth was turned up in an involuntary smile.

'Do not worry, I shall try not to steal your thunder!' he added, extending his arms to both Jane and Elizabeth, smirking when Darcy blushed. Giggling, Elizabeth and Jane followed him inside, followed quickly by the rest of the party.

Colonel Fitzwilliam led them into the entrance hall, where they were promptly greeted by a kindly-looking woman.

Darcy quickly introduced her. 'This is Mrs Reynolds, my housekeeper. Mrs Reynolds, these are the Gardiners, and Miss Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. They will be staying with us for Christmas.'

They all curtsied and bowed, smiling.

'It is all prepared, Mr Darcy. Shall I show everyone to their rooms?

'Yes, please. And have James send up the luggage.'

'He has already done so.'

'Excellent,' Darcy said, smiling. 'Perhaps I should offer him a pay rise.'

Mrs Reynolds laughed, and beckoned to the Gardiners, Elizabeth and Jane. 'This way, sirs and ladies.'

They followed her upstairs, leaving Darcy, the Colonel and Georgiana in the hall to catch up. On the way upstairs, Mrs Reynolds said, 'I cannot tell you how glad I am that the master shall have some company over Christmas.'

'Does he not usually?' Elizabeth asked curiously.

'Oh, no, Miss. He and dear Georgiana have not celebrated Christmas since the late Anne Darcy passed on. Their poor father could not bear to, and they have kept up the tradition since he passed shortly after.'

'Oh,' said Elizabeth, feeling sad, and struck once again by how much responsibility Darcy had had to take on, at such a young age.

'Perhaps if Mr Darcy marries, he might begin to celebrate Christmas regularly again,' Mrs Gardiner suggested.

Elizabeth was mortified. 'Aunt!' she hissed in a low voice.

Mrs Reynolds smiled wistfully. 'Yes, but I do not know when _that_ will be. I do not know who is good enough for him.'

Elizabeth promptly gave her aunt a look, as if to say, _So there!_

They climbed another flight of stairs, and Mrs Reynolds continued, 'He was always such a good, kind boy, and he is the same nowadays. I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old.'

Elizabeth was amazed, even though she was already assured of his kind nature and good character.

'There are very few people of whom so much can be said. You are lucky in having such a master,' Mr Gardiner said.

'Yes, sir, I know I am. If I were to go through the world, I could not meet with a better. But I have always observed, that they who are good-natured when children, are good-natured when they grow up; and he was always the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world.'

At these words, from a source that had known Mr Darcy almost from birth, Elizabeth felt ashamed and guilty that she had ever thought ill of him. No more was said until they reached the fifth floor.

'Your rooms are all on this floor,' Mrs Reynolds said.

'Are not these the rooms for family?' asked Mrs Gardiner.

'Oh, yes, but the master was most specific,' Mrs Reynolds said.

Mrs Gardiner gave Elizabeth a significant glance, and she glowered back, blushing.

'In any case,' continued Mrs Reynolds slyly as she directed Mr and Mrs Gardiner to one of the rooms, 'I believe he is quite keen to make certain it is not possible for Miss Bingley to demand a room up here when she arrives in the New Year.'

Elizabeth stifled a laugh at this unexpected impertinence. From her tone, it was clear that the staff did not like her any better than Mr Darcy did, and Elizabeth thought that was probably because of their loyalty to him, and the fact that Caroline probably treated them with absolutely no respect, as she also did with the servants at Netherfield.

'These two are your rooms, Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth,' Mrs Reynolds said as the Gardiners and their children disappeared into their rooms. 'I believe they have connecting doors, as the master suggested.'

Elizabeth smiled, pleased. 'That was kind of him.'

Mrs Reynolds nodded. 'He speaks very highly of you, Miss.'

Elizabeth blushed as the housekeeper smiled fondly at her before heading back downstairs. Jane clutched her arm. 'Oh, Lizzy!'

'Jane! Do not,' she said sharply as they entered one of the joined rooms together.

'But it is _so_ romantic! Surely even you cannot be immune to it!'

'Oh, Jane, I am certain he could speak highly of anyone after spending months in Miss Bingley's sole company!'

'Lizzy, that is unkind. And besides, Mrs Reynolds said he spoke highly of _you_ , not me or anyone else!'

'Oh, Jane, please do not.'

And why not, Lizzy?' Jane was suddenly firm, more serious than Elizabeth had ever seen her. 'You cannot pretend to not notice his partiality for you. You, who claims to be such a judge of character!'

'I believe that good judge of character fled after meeting Mr Darcy and Wickham.'

'Even so, Lizzy, I could never call you stupid, but that is precisely what you are being!'

'Jane!' said Elizabeth hotly, offended.

'Well, you are!' Jane insisted, before softening. 'Do you like him, Lizzy?'

Elizabeth blushed, and did not reply.

'Lizzy?' Jane asked curiously.

'Oh, Jane,' sighed Elizabeth. 'I like him very well indeed.'

Jane squealed excitedly, and hugged her. 'Well then, Lizzy!'

'Well, what?'

'Put on your best frock, and _make_ him like you, as you are so certain he does not!'

'Jane!' Elizabeth said, blushing furiously. 'You have turned into Mamma!'

'Not quite, Lizzy. Oh, but think,' she sighed. 'If you marry Mr Darcy and I marry Mr Bingley, they will be brothers! Do you not think they would like that?'

Elizabeth burst out laughing. 'Jane, you are incorrigible! Are you suggesting I marry Mr Darcy so your Mr Bingley will gain a good brother?'

'No, I am suggesting you marry him because you like him! Now, come on, Lizzy, we must change, or they will all be kept waiting for us.'

Giggling, Elizabeth followed her into her bedroom where their trunks awaited them.

* * *

A quarter of an hour later, a knock was heard on their door.

'I shall answer it, Jane!' Elizabeth called, hurriedly sticking the last of her pins in her hair as she scurried towards the door. She was still fixing her hair when she opened the door.

'Mr Darcy!' she said, startled.

He stared at her for a moment, pink spots appearing high on his cheekbones. Elizabeth hurriedly rammed the rest of her hairpins in higgledy-piggledy and arched a brow. His lips twitched, and he said, 'I hoped to escort you and your sister down to the parlour.'

'Oh! Yes. Jane is almost ready.'

He nodded, and stood there awkwardly.

Taking pity on him, she said, 'Would you like to come in?'

'Oh. If – if that is all right,' he said tentatively.

She smiled, nodding, and they sat in the adjoining sitting room to wait for Jane. 'Pemberley is a lovely home,' she said, determined that they would have some conversation

He brightened at once. 'Yes. It is my favourite place. But you have not seen the library, or the grounds! They are perhaps what makes it so enjoyable. I could give you a tour at some point, if – if you would like.'

She smiled. 'I would like that very much. But come, Mr Darcy! You promised me you performed your best at Pemberley!'

He sighed. 'Perhaps I am acclimatising.'

Elizabeth blinked, and let out a startled giggle. Darcy looked at her in such delighted surprise that she laughed harder, promptly leading to Jane's arrival.

'Lizzy, what on earth – oh, Mr Darcy!' She curtsied. He rose and bowed politely. Elizabeth scowled as Jane shot her a pleased, knowing look.

He held out both his arms and the sisters took them, allowing themselves to be escorted downstairs into a handsome parlour where the rest of the party was waiting for them.

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked up as they entered and said, 'Now, now, Darcy, that is simply not fair! You cannot be allowed the pleasure of escorting _both_ young ladies!'

Elizabeth laughed, and Darcy shook his head at his cousin's antics. Elizabeth and Jane left his side to sit with Georgiana, leaving him to strike up a conversation with Mr Gardiner.

As Elizabeth and Jane greeted Georgiana cheerfully, the Colonel crossed the room to them, bowing.

'I must say, I am quite aggrieved at Darcy. He never mentioned knowing two such fine ladies.'

To their surprise, Georgiana rolled her eyes. 'Do not be a tease, cousin. You know perfectly well brother has written to you about –' She slapped her hands over her mouth, looking aggrieved. 'Oh, no! I ought not to have said!'

Elizabeth laughed and the Colonel snickered.

'Well, I cannot blame the man,' he said cheerfully. 'And it is quite clear why he likes you, Miss Bennet! He most certainly has a type! Who was that girl he proposed to?'

'Richard!' hissed Georgiana. Elizabeth was surprised to feel the faint stirrings of jealously coming to life.

'Oh, yes! I remember now. Cook's daughter! She was a sweet young girl, but quite rude sometimes, and used to try and play with us.'

'What happened?' Elizabeth asked curiously.

'Well, they were only five or six, you see,' he said, fending off sniggers. 'He proposed, and got a fist in his face for his trouble.'

Georgiana looked as though she did not know whether to laugh or bury her face in her hands. She chose the latter as Elizabeth laughed and Jane smiled hesitantly.

'And the lesson we must learn from it is that he has always liked impertinent women!'

Georgiana groaned, peeking out through her fingers to find Elizabeth blushing, and looking vaguely uneasy. 'Cousin, stop, I beg you!'

'I am only stating the truth, Georgie,' he said fondly.

'Most improperly, I might add!'

'Oh, Georgie!' he said, delighted. 'When did you get so grown up?'

Georgiana rolled her eyes again, and huffed.

'Are you upsetting Georgiana, Richard?' Darcy said, coming over to them.

'Only by telling embarrassing tales of you, brother!'

'Well, what are cousins for, if not to embarrass each other?' the Colonel said, grinning.

Darcy sighed. 'Was it the tale about the cat again?'

'No, but that reminds me!' the Colonel said, grinning.

Darcy groaned heavily and Elizabeth giggled. He met her eyes, and his lips formed a reluctant smile. If Elizabeth fell for him a little more in that moment, she was the only one who knew.

'When we were ten years old, we found a cat stuck in one of the trees here,' the Colonel began, and Darcy sighed. 'Wick— our other playmate was all for leaving it there, but Darcy was having none of it. He promptly climbed the tree and bundled the cat up in his coat before climbing down again. When he reached the ground, we realised that the cat had broken a leg. It appeared to have fallen down from further up in the tree, and managed to catch itself before falling to its death. Do you know what Darcy did then?'

Elizabeth shook her head, caught up in the story.

'He made the cat a little splint, and hid it in his bedroom until Mrs Reynolds discovered it one morning as it was wandering about. She gave him the most vigorous talking-to about bringing unknown animals into the house!' he chuckled.

Elizabeth's heart melted, and she smiled at Darcy. He smiled back tentatively, looking surprised, but pleased. After a moment, the Colonel let out an amused snort, and they tore their eyes from each other at once.

'Not so embarrassing after all, eh, Darcy?' he said jokingly, earning him a sharp glare and the view of suddenly flushed cheeks.

Before Darcy could retort, supper was announced, and he promptly held out his arms for Elizabeth and Georgiana. Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Colonel Fitzwilliam was left to escort Jane, following the Gardiners into the dining parlour.

* * *

 **More will come quite soon, I promise! (Although by now my promises are probably worthless!)**


	17. Of Christmas Eves and Matchmaking

**Thank you for all the holiday wishes! Merry Christmas (to all those readers who celebrate it) I hope you all have a fantastic New Year. Here is another chapter to keep you warm and fuzzy over the holidays! :)**

 **(It's an extra-long one, just for Christmas :P)**

* * *

December 24

Christmas Eve dawned bright and cheerful and brought with it an unexpected surprise: the grounds of Pemberley had become coated with a light dusting of snow overnight. Elizabeth was delighted as she gazed out of the window. In Herefordshire they rarely saw snow, and when they did it was never as pretty as this, becoming streaked with mud shortly after it fell.

She hurried through the adjoining door into Jane's room and woke her excitedly. She was reluctant to wake, but soon exclaimed in delight as she observed the white blanket on the grounds. They dressed quickly into warm dresses, coats and gloves and ran downstairs in a most undignified way, glad to not meet anyone on the way down.

And then they were outside in the bitter cold, marvelling over the crunch and softness of the snow beneath their feet. Elizabeth spun giddily in a circle, her enjoyment interrupted by a dry cough. She lost her balance slightly and gripped Jane's arm to steady herself. Mr Darcy was standing on the front steps, watching in amusement. Edward, Margaret and Emma were standing next to him, looking positively adorable bundled up in their winter things.

'Anyone would think _you_ were the children,' Mr Darcy said, smirking.

Elizabeth pretended to scowl. 'You shall pay for that comment, sir!'

Quick as a flash, she scooped up some snow, patting it into a ball before throwing it as hard as she could in his direction. It hit him in the chest, covering his coat in snow. He stood frozen, gaping. Elizabeth giggled to see the sight of the usually taciturn man covered in snow and speechless for other reasons than shyness. He closed his mouth abruptly.

'Are you not going to retaliate?' she asked, still giggling.

'I would never throw snow at a lady,' he said stiffly.

She laughed. 'Oh, come, Mr Darcy, do lighten up!' She threw another snowball, hitting him in the shoulder this time, and her cousins promptly decided to join in the fun, scurrying down the steps and pelting him with snowballs.

For a moment, Elizabeth thought he might yell at them all, but his lips twitched suddenly. 'Traitors!' he called good-naturedly to her cousins.

They giggled, and he bent down, scooping up some snow and lobbing it at Edward. He immediately looked shocked at his actions and Elizabeth burst into laughter, clutching Jane, who giggled.

Shortly, they were all involved in a fierce battle, which ended when Darcy was knocked off his feet by her three cousins, who promptly leapt on him, giggling. Darcy looked shocked for a moment before surrendering, sinking further into the snow and laughing, before hugging them all closer, ruffling their hair. Emma promptly reached down and scooped up some more snow, rubbing it in Darcy's face.

'You cheeky monkey!' Elizabeth said, shocked, hurrying over and tugging her off Darcy. Emma giggled, fighting against Elizabeth's hold. Darcy wiped the snow off his face and grinned. Elizabeth was struck by how handsome he was rendered by this almost foreign expression.

He held out his hand in clear supplication, and she grasped it, helping him to his feet as Edward and Margaret scrambled off him.

'Thank you,' he said, smiling happily at her. She smiled back, caught in his intense gaze, completely unaware of the hand gripping a ball of snow until he smashed it gently on her head and she yelped.

He grinned, and Jane let out a shocked laugh. Elizabeth scowled. 'You are incorrigible!'

His grin merely deepened, and he held out his hands for Emma and Margaret, who grasped them eagerly, and followed him inside as he chuckled. Jane nudged Elizabeth in the ribs and she blushed without knowing why, taking Edward's hand and leading him inside where they Gardiners, the Colonel and Georgiana were waiting for them in the breakfast parlour. Mrs Gardiner was holding a very sleepy Sam, and she promptly exclaimed upon the state of Elizabeth's hair.

'Elizabeth, what on earth has happened to your hair?' she asked, concerned.

By now, Elizabeth was dripping all over the floor. She blushed, and Darcy smirked.

'We must get you dry before you catch your death.

Darcy promptly sent a footman to retrieve a towel, winking at Elizabeth. She scowled, and took the towel when it arrived, hurriedly drying her hair, certain it now looked a tangled, frizzy mess. Darcy, however, thought she looked enchanting, and could hardly keep his eyes off her during breakfast.

After breakfast, Darcy lead them to a cosy sitting room where a magnificent tree had been placed. Boxes of decorations had been retrieved from the attic, and were waiting to be placed on the tree. Elizabeth and her cousins exclaimed over the height of the tree. They were informed by Darcy that the tree had been felled on Pemberley grounds, which had been a tradition for decades, and that in the spring they often planted a new tree in its place.

'Do be quiet, Darcy,' the Colonel advised. 'You will bore the ladies to death.'

Darcy blushed, and promptly turned awkwardly back to the decoration box. Elizabeth began to wonder if she would ever catch more than a glimpse of his relaxed self, especially if the Colonel was around, teasing him. He had been different when they had all played in the snow; more cheerful and relaxed, but then, the Colonel had not been there. Sighing, she hung a red bauble on the tree.

'What on earth is the matter, Miss Elizabeth?' the Colonel asked, smiling. 'Surely you are not bored with Pemberley already?'

'Oh no,' she said. 'Pemberley is lovely. I am – I am fine.'

He raised his eyebrows, and Elizabeth decided she could trust him, even though she had only known him a short while.

'I am worried about your cousin,' she said quietly.

The Colonel looked surprised. 'What is wrong with Darcy?'

Elizabeth shrugged. 'I think your teasing upsets him.'

The Colonel guffawed.

'What?' Elizabeth asked, offended.

'Darcy does not usually mind my teasing. Believe it or not, he usually gives as good as he gets.' Elizabeth was most surprised at this. Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled before continuing confidingly, 'I believe it is because he is in the presence of a certain young lady he wishes to impress.'

Elizabeth blushed. 'And who is the young lady?'

The Colonel rolled his eyes. 'For two such clever people, you are both amazingly obtuse.'

Elizabeth was deeply affronted. 'What –'

'Darcy, old man, Miss Elizabeth will help you with that!' the Colonel called as Darcy picked up a tight roll of gold tinsel.

Elizabeth blushed. 'But –'

'Go on,' the Colonel hissed, pushing her forward slightly. 'You'll thank me later.'

Frowning, Elizabeth made her way over to Darcy.

'I can do it myself,' Darcy offered, noticing her expression.

She shook herself slightly. 'No, I would like to help.'

He smiled hesitantly and let her take the roll of tinsel, tucking one end around a hidden branch at the back of the tree. He followed her around the magnificent evergreen as she unwound the roll, tucking bits in here and there.

'My cousins like you very much,' she offered as they walked.

He smiled at that. 'Yes, I believe they no longer find me intimidating.'

Elizabeth giggled. 'You will have to beware. You will now feature in some of their pranks and games,' she warned him, grinning.

'If they are anything like this morning, I do believe it will be quite an ordeal,' he said.

Elizabeth laughed, and they finished wrapping the tinsel around the tree.

They took a break from decorating to have a hasty, almost picnic-like lunch of sandwiches and fruit on the floor of the sitting room. Elizabeth giggled to herself. If anyone had told her two months ago that she would be sitting on the floor picnicking with the Darcys, she would have laughed herself silly. And yet, here she was, filled with affection for the pair of them. She was delighted when Georgiana asked her to call her by her Christian name, and she quickly granted her the same privilege. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Darcy smiling happily, looking thrilled. She thought she saw something suspiciously like tears welling in his eyes, and looked away lest he same thing happen to her.

After lunch, when all the baubles and ornaments had been hung in various places around the tree, Darcy lifted Emma up to place the golden fairy on top of the tree, and she beamed. 'Thank you, Uncle Darcy!' She placed a big kiss on his cheek and they both blushed.

Elizabeth grinned at this affecting scene, imagining a future Darcy with his children. She thought he would be an exemplary father.

They all parted to rest before dinner, and Elizabeth relaxed on her bed with Jane, reflecting on a wonderful day.

* * *

Once she and Jane had dressed for dinner, Mrs Gardiner waylaid Elizabeth before she could go downstairs.

'Lizzy, I truly am persuaded that Mr Darcy has much affection for you, and it would not do to upset our host, would it?'

'Upset him how?' Elizabeth asked in bewilderment. Mr Darcy _did not_ have affection for her! He was in love with another!

'I observed him yesterday evening, and he has seemed most put out that you were conversing with his cousin. I think you should show him a little more attention tonight, do you not?'

With guilt, Elizabeth remembered her avid assurances to Fitzwilliam at Netherfield that she would not prefer his cousin's company to his. 'Yes, aunt. But I have a small matter to discuss with the Colonel first.'

Aunt Gardiner sighed. 'Very well, Lizzy.'

* * *

Darcy watched in agony as Elizabeth sat down to talk to his cousin for the second evening running. He could not hear their conversation, but they were smiling at each other, and his heart felt as though it were slowly cracking into two. They looked happy with each other, and on the verges of love.

In fact, Mr Darcy could not have been more wrong. Colonel Fitzwilliam was indeed smitten, but Elizabeth's eyes were shining with love for a different Fitzwilliam. They _were_ smiling, but that was because they were talking about him.

'I am now convinced you show a preference for Darcy,' Colonel Fitzwilliam said.

Elizabeth blushed deeply and hesitated, wondering whether she should deny it, but he was smiling kindly at her, a knowing twinkle in his eye. 'You are not offended?' she asked. They had barely been introduced; it would not be a surprise to her if he thought her a fortune hunter.

'Nay, I think the two of you would suit very well. If I were richer I would be giving him a run for his money.'

Elizabeth smiled. 'And yet, more wealth would still not induce me to marry you instead. I think you very amicable, but if I cannot love you without money, I cannot love you _with_ money.'

'And what of Darcy?' he asked, smirking. 'How lucky for you that he _is_ rich!'

'I am convinced I would love him even if he were a pauper,' she replied. She sighed. Her heart ached for him, but she could not have him. His heart belonged to another, and he would surely be despised in society if he married her.

'It is a shame I cannot marry for love,' the Colonel said.

Elizabeth looked at him incredulously. 'I supposedly "cannot" either, and yet, I hope I will. You should do the same.'

'Ah, yes, but when the object of your affections has ten thousand a year …'

'Colonel Fitzwilliam!' Elizabeth admonished loudly, laughing.

The rest of the room looked up, and Elizabeth met Darcy's eyes. She could not bear the forlorn look in them, so she rose and went to him where he was sitting surrounded by her little cousins.

'I do hope my cousin has not offended you,' he said as she sat

Elizabeth smiled. 'He has not. He merely made a scandalous comment about your wealth.'

'And what comment was that?' Darcy inquired, feeling surprised as she flushed.

'I shall tell you some other time.' She smiled at the sight of Darcy surrounded by her cousins, all vying for his attention.

'And how do you find his company?' he asked hesitantly.

'Very pleasing,' she replied. His heart sank. 'You are right, he does converse with great humour and ease.'

'Yes,' Darcy replied, somewhat bitterly.

'And yet, he fails to measure up to a different gentleman I know.'

Hope kindled in his chest as she smiled at him. 'And which gentleman is that?'

'A certain gentleman whom I believe has promised me a tour of the grounds,' Elizabeth replied.

Darcy stifled a triumphant laugh at her forwardness. 'I would be delighted to oblige you, Miss Bennet. Perhaps tomorrow after breakfast?'

'That would be most agreeable.' She smiled. 'I have missed our long walks.'

He swallowed, and resisted the urge to move forward slightly and kiss her senseless. Her eyes, today an even more becoming shade of green than usual to match her dress, were holding his with such warmth. One of the chestnut curls he loved so much had escaped from her elaborate hairstyle, and he longed to reach out and twine it back into place, but that would be the height of impropriety. Her pale skin gleamed softly in the candlelight, enhanced by the green of her dress, and her soft, full lips were curved into an inquiring smile.

He closed his eyes briefly. He was in love with a siren. He felt her presence even in a crowded ballroom, and his eyes constantly sought her across whichever room they were in. His hand longed to clasp hers, his lips craved the relief kissing her would surely bring, and his heart ached for her.

He took a steadying breath. In doing so, he inhaled her scent; lavender, and something soft and warm. Oh, it was no use, his head was filled with her. He could not escape. He did not know how to express his feelings, and knew it would be most improper to do so in company, and they were slowly but surely choking him, letting him drown in the sensation of loving her. If she did not return his feelings he felt as though he would surely die.

His eyes flickered open to find Elizabeth looking at the floor, uncertain.

 _Say something, you fool!_

What had she said? Something about a walk –

'My apologies, Miss Bennet. I was merely reflecting on our last walk together.'

She kept her eyes on the carpet still. 'I hope you did not find it too taxing.'

Taxing! As if he could ever tire of her delightful company. 'Taxing, Miss Bennet? I would say tiresome, or perhaps most odious. That is certainly why I offered you a tour of the gardens,' he said teasingly.

Her eyes flickered to his briefly, incredulous. 'You could just be fulfilling your duty as a host.'

'Be that as it may, I doubt I could ever tire of your company, Miss Bennet.'

He was rewarded with a tentative smile. He pressed his suit, anxious to get back the camaraderie they had had at Netherfield.

'Might I be allowed to say that you are a vision this evening?' he said.

Elizabeth blushed, and finally met his eyes properly. 'Thank you, sir, but I confess I do not own many fine clothes.'

'You are enchanting, fine clothes or not,' he replied, and then looked away, cursing himself.

'You look very handsome yourself this evening,' she said, and his eyes swung back to her in elated surprise. 'But then, you _do_ have the benefit of fine clothes.'

His lips twitched. Why, the little minx. 'I thank you, Miss Bennet, for your most gracious of compliments.' He glanced around as his butler announced dinner. 'May I escort you to dinner?'

Elizabeth stood, and took his offered arm, smiling. They entered the dining room last, behind the Colonel and Georgiana, and Darcy guided Elizabeth to her seat. He pulled out her chair for her, noticing the approving smile of Mrs Gardiner as Elizabeth looked at him in surprise before thanking him and sitting down.

He sat at the head of the table, Georgiana on his left, and Elizabeth on his right. He smiled contentedly as the first course was brought out. He had never felt so happy in his own home as he did now, with his darling sister and Elizabeth sitting on either side of him.

'I have never seen you so content, brother,' Georgiana said quietly as he helped himself to some duck. 'May I guess the cause?'

Darcy checked to see that Elizabeth was safely in conversation with Jane and Richard before replying, 'You may.'

'It is Miss Bennet, is it not?'

'I do not know what you mean,' Darcy replied, teasing his little sister. 'I most certainly do not love Jane. That is Bingley's area of expertise.'

'Not Jane, Elizabeth! Oh, do say she is to be my sister soon, for I adore her!'

Darcy smiled. 'I long for it too, Georgiana, but she has told me she will only marry for the deepest love.'

'Oh, but I am persuaded she is extremely fond of you,' Georgiana pressed.

'Indeed? You do not think she prefers Richard?'

Georgiana smiled knowingly. 'Most certainly not, dear brother, for I happened to mysteriously overhear some of their conversation.

'And?' Darcy asked impatiently. 'What was said?'

'Now, Fitzwilliam, that is no way to talk to your younger sister.'

Darcy mock-glared at her. This was Elizabeth's doing surely, and he was glad that his sister was coming into her own again, but he desperately wanted to know what Elizabeth thought of him.

'Georgie –'

'No amount of sweet-talk shall sway me, Fitzwilliam! My lips are sealed.'

'Now, Georgiana, it is not kind to leave your brother out of a secret like that,' Elizabeth admonished, her eyes twinkling. 'Unless, of course, he deserves it.'

"'Oh, he most certainly does!' Georgiana said eagerly. 'You should have heard the way he spoke to me, as though I were a mere messenger!'

Darcy laughed. 'Georgie, you do exaggerate.'

'Perhaps, dear brother, but I still shall not tell you, for _you_ did not tell me –' She broke off just in time, flushing. Darcy was immensely glad, for he knew what she had been about to say. _You did not tell me the reason you invited Elizabeth to Pemberley._

'What did he not tell you?' Elizabeth asked curiously.

'Alas, my lips are sealed once more!' Georgiana said forlornly. 'Have I no one I can turn to?'

Darcy chuckled. 'Perhaps Richard will lend you his ear.'

'Cousin Fitzwilliam cannot keep a secret for anything!'

Darcy was most intrigued by the suddenly alarmed look that crossed Elizabeth's face. She glanced at the Colonel, who winked slyly. She scowled, and the rest of the dinner passed in amicable silence.

* * *

After they had bid everyone goodnight, Colonel Fitzwilliam stopped Darcy from advancing up the stairs.

'You have chosen well, cousin,' he said.

'I know not what you mean,' Darcy replied.

'I think you do,' he said, smiling. 'Miss Elizabeth is quite fond of you.'

Darcy's heart soared. 'Are you sure you do not wish for her affections?'

'Oh, I informed her that if I were richer, I would be competing with you. And do you know what she said?'

'No,' Darcy replied. Knowing Elizabeth, it was something deeply amusing.

'That if she could not love me without money, she could not love me _with_ money!' Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed.

Darcy chuckled.

'I told her how lucky she was that the man she loves is rich, and do you know what she said to that?'

'Let me advise you, cousin, not to enter verbal battles with Miss Elizabeth, for you shall surely lose.'

'Do you speak from experience, Darcy?' Fitzwilliam laughed. 'But let me tell you – she said "I am convinced I would love him even if he were a pauper". Singular woman.' He made his way up the stairs.

Darcy was successfully diverted. 'Richard!' he hissed.

The Colonel paused halfway up the stairs. 'Yes?'

'Who is the man?'

'My God, cousin, you are hopeless. I bid you goodnight.'

'Richard!' Darcy hissed again, but he had disappeared. Scowling, Darcy ascended the stairs to bed.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed it! I will be back after the New Year :)**

 **To The Reader: I only just realised I hadn't explained that myself! I like to think Wickham let it slip during his story, seeing as he has a complete lack of propriety anyway.**


	18. A Walk in the Grounds

**I'm not sure about this chapter, but you all deserve an update after such a long wait! Hopefully the memory of Christmas will fight off those winter blues ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

Christmas Day

Darcy woke early on Christmas morning, just as the dawn was breaking. Knowing that Elizabeth was also an early riser, he hoped to catch her and complete their walk before the others rose and they were forced to postpone it. He summoned his valet, ordering him to make haste. When he reached the breakfast parlour ten minutes later, it was empty, to his mingled relief and disappointment. He had half-expected the Gardiner children to be awake, too excited to sleep in at Christmas.

As he was breaking his fast, one of his footmen entered the parlour looking worried, and promptly informed him that Elizabeth had gone outside into the gardens about twenty minutes prior. Darcy's spirits rose immediately.

'She went alone, sir, was quite adamant about it. I was not certain you would approve –'

'Miss Bennet is a great walker,' Darcy replied. 'I am convinced she will be fine, but to ease both my worry and yours, I shall search for her. She does not know these grounds well, and may become lost.' He threw his napkin down on the table and stood up.

'Yes, sir,' the footman replied, looking relieved.

Darcy exited the house, and started down the main path to the lake. Halfway there, his attention was diverted by a slender figure meandering about the various wilting flowerbeds in the established gardens in front of the house.

'Happy Christmas, Miss Elizabeth,' Darcy said, bowing.

She jumped. 'Mr Darcy! I had not expected you to have risen yet.'

'A pleasant surprise, I hope?' he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

'Did you sleep well?' he inquired.

'Very, thank you. Your estate is lovely.'

Darcy smiled happily. 'I take great pleasure in it, Miss Elizabeth.'

They both glanced simultaneously down at the flowerbed in front of them. Several winter honeysuckle shrubs were in full bloom, at odds to the dead or dying plants surrounding them. It was the only plant to have survived the burgeoning frost.

'It is beautiful, is it not, sir?' Elizabeth asked.

'That even amongst death and destruction, beauty can be found?' he queried.

She looked at him in surprise. 'Yes. That is it exactly.'

Feeling slightly impulsive, not entirely sure what had come over him, he plucked one of the petite white flowers from the honeysuckle. He reached up to tuck it into the hair behind her ear, revelling in the feel of her soft curls against his fingers. He could feel her eyes watching him, but did not meet them until he had finished, his fingers lingering against her jaw. She was gazing at him bewilderedly, two spots of colour glowing brightly on her cheeks. He smiled widely.

'There,' he said, stepping away. 'Now, I believe I promised you a tour of the grounds. Shall we?' He gestured to the path.

She hesitated for one agonising moment, before tucking her woollen wrap more firmly around her and starting off down the path, her boots making small footprints in the snow. He followed her, feeling warm and contented despite the cold making clouds of his breath.

'Where are we walking to, sir?' she asked as they reached the edge of a small wooded patch.

He glanced sideways at her. 'One of my favourite spots, if you do not mind.'

She looked pleasantly surprised. 'No, I do not.'

He grinned. 'That is good, for you would have not had much of a choice, either way.'

'Mr Darcy, I cannot think what has got into you today,' she said, smiling incredulously.

'I am getting into the Christmas spirit, Miss Elizabeth. It happens to everyone eventually.' He let out a great mock-sigh.

Elizabeth let out an adorable giggle, and he fell even more in love with her in that moment. She looked so at home here on his grounds, and he so desperately longed for it to be a permanent arrangement. He could imagine her loving the grounds as much as he did, exploring them every day on her rambles.

'What are you thinking of, sir?' Elizabeth asked.

He started, and scrambled for something to say. 'I – I was thinking how glad I am that you are here to help Georgiana. She has blossomed since you have arrived, and is almost back to herself.'

Elizabeth smiled. 'I am very glad, but you have had a hand in it too, you must have. She loves you very much. I like her immensely.'

'That is good,' Darcy said, smiling, 'for she adores you.'

'Oh!' Elizabeth blushed. 'I hope I may see more of her, if that is not rude to imply.'

'Not at all, Miss Elizabeth. She would be delighted. As would I.'

They walked on through the woods until they reached a large gap in the trees that emerged onto a riverbank. The wide, arcing river was completely frozen, the trees on the other bank covered in snow and frost like little white Christmas trees. In summer, it was equally beautiful, the smell of bluebells and lavender perfuming the air, the river gurgling, and the pretty greens of the oak and evergreen trees on full display.

Mr Darcy watched, pleased, as Elizabeth ventured further into the open air, cautiously looking around, as though afraid of breaking some spell. She stood looking out at the river for quite some time. Darcy had begun to worry that something was amiss, when she turned to him with a radiant smile.

'It is beautiful, Mr Darcy. Thank you for showing me this.'

'I am glad you like it, Miss Elizabeth,' he replied, swallowing. Nerves were starting to get the better of him. What if she did not want him to ask for her hand? What if she wished to simply be amiable companions? She was a singular woman, how could he be sure she wanted to marry him?

Lost in his inner turmoil, he did not notice her approach until she took his hand cautiously in her own.

'Mr Darcy?' she asked worriedly.

Her eyes, dark green like the evergreens this morning, caught him and would not let go. He let out a shuddering gasp. She dropped his hand immediately as though burnt, flushing and looking most distraught.

'I am sorry, I –' she stammered.

All Darcy could think of was her eyes, and how he longed to be in their hold for the rest of his life, duty be damned. She had retreated away from him, and he started across the clearing to her. She was still apologising most profusely, and he would have laughed if he was not so afraid.

'Elizabeth,' he managed.

She looked up at him, shame and apology written in her eyes.

'Elizabeth, you must ease my agony. I know you hated me until that fateful morning, but –'/

'It has been a long time since I have hated you, sir,' she whispered.

'That is good,' he said. 'Because I have loved you almost from the moment of setting eyes on you, and it has only grown with every word, touch, and smile from you. I love you with every fibre of my being. You are the most captivating woman I have ever met. I love your sharp mind, and your witty repartee. You are beautiful, clever, kind, and amusing. You have bewitched me, and I cannot imagine a day without you in it. I think of you each day, what you would say to me if you were there with me. How you would tease me. I want to talk with you, laugh with you, and argue with you for the rest of my life. Elizabeth, you have made me a better man, and I never wish to part with you from this day forth. Please do me the honour of accepting my hand.'

He had said all this in a daze. Blinking, her face swam into view. To his immense dismay, she was crying, avoiding his gaze, her eyes fixed on the ground. He swallowed, and waited anxiously for her to speak. When she did not, he clenched and unclenched his fist briefly. He wanted to comfort her, but knew she would not let him. She did not want him. He was a dead man, doomed to a lonely, miserable life, for he would never marry another as long as he lived.

'Eliza— Miss Elizabeth I shall leave you now. I beg you to forget what has just been uttered, and I apologise most profusely.' He turned, feeling a wetness on his cheek. He touched it to find a tear. He brushed it away impatiently, hastening towards the path, when he heard her voice.

'Fitzwilliam,' she said in a small voice. 'Fitzwilliam, wait!'

He ignored her. He did not want her pity, or her condolences. Before he could reach the trees, however, her delicate hand had clasped his once more, tugging him back.

'Fitzwilliam, please listen.'

His hand remained in hers, but he did not turn to face her. He could not bear to see anything but love in those eyes.

'Very well, you stubborn, insufferable man!' She sounded as though she were smiling, but that could not be.

'You cannot know how I have suffered this past month! Your words to me at the Netherfield ball almost broke me! You had treated me with such care and kindness, and at dinner you told me you loved another. You cannot know what pain that caused me! Until then I had thought myself warming to you, perhaps even a friend to you, but as soon as you uttered those words, I knew!'

He turned to look at her at those words, and she squeezed his hand, smiling up at him.

'I did not know how I would survive being here for Christmas, knowing I loved you but that you were in love with someone else.' He began to protest, but she silenced him with her eyes. 'And now you tell me that you have loved me for almost our entire acquaintance! Fitzwilliam, I was not crying because I do not want to marry you. I was crying with happiness, and relief, and sorrow that I had not loved you as long – for you deserved to be loved; you did not deserve my dislike. I assure you, Fitzwilliam, I have loved you since I took your arm at the Netherfield ball, and I have never stopped loving you since, nor will I ever. It gives me the utmost joy to say that I would be honoured and happy beyond belief to accept your hand.'

He stared at her for a solid minute, letting her words sink in. Then he let out a joyful laugh, and swept her into his arms, spinning her around.

'Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth,' he whispered as he set her down. He ran his fingers through her hair, searching her eyes for any sign of disapproval. Finding only welcome invitation, he smiled before slanting his head to cover her lips with his own.

Oh, the relief, after wanting this for months, to finally have her in his arms. It was beyond belief, and he kissed her again and again in a haze of delirious happiness. Her fingers wound into his dark curls and she returned his kisses with passion. He groaned into her mouth and tore his mouth from hers before the kiss became rather more indecent and gave her quite an education. He kissed her firmly once more before easing her away.

'My darling, I cannot say how happy you have made me, but we must stop, before I forget myself.'

She looked down, biting her lip. He tilted her face up to his.

'Elizabeth, I am not angry. Quite the opposite! But I do not wish to compromise you any further before we are happily married.'

'So you will not kiss me until we are married?'

'I will most certainly kiss you,' he assured her, 'as often as we have a private moment together. I could not bear it!'

Her eyes sparkled. 'That is good, for you would have not had much of a choice, either way,' she said, repeating his phrase from earlier.

His eyes glowed dangerously. God, how he loved this woman. He took her hand. 'Let us go back, and spread the happy news.'

'Before you have gained my father's permission?' she asked, frowning.

He smiled. 'I may have failed to mention that I spoke with him before you left the Netherfield ball.'

'Fitzwilliam!' she exclaimed. 'But he did not tell me!'

'No, for I asked him not to. I begged him to allow you to stay at Pemberley, and that I wished to propose. He assented as he had seen our interactions that night and presumed you had come around to me.'

'He did ask me about you when we arrived back at Longbourn, but I had thought that was simply because he was surprised I had spent much of the evening with you, having previously declared you insupportable!'

'And what did you tell him?' Darcy asked, smiling down at the woman on his arm.

'Oh, I vouched for your character, of course, and told him you had been most kind to me at Netherfield, though I did not say why. I also said we have similar minds and rub along together amicably.'

'Is that all?' he asked, amused.

Elizabeth blushed. 'I may have slipped an accidental line about how handsome you looked.'

'Indeed?' Darcy said, deeply amused. 'Well, I confess I payed a great deal of attention to my appearance, simply because _you_ were going to be present. And I confess you are enchanting in your ball gowns, although I find you perfectly lovely even when your hem is "six inches deep in mud"!'

'Oh!' Elizabeth said, blushing. 'And what are we going to say to Miss Bingley when she arrives? She will hate me.'

'If she upsets you in any way, Elizabeth, I shall throw her from the house, be it the middle of the night! I will make sure she knows this, and that there is no possible way for me to change my mind. No matter what happens, Elizabeth, I _am_ going to marry you.'

* * *

 **The next chapter will be up later today! :)**


	19. Presents

**Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

When Darcy and Elizabeth returned to the house, he stopped her just out of sight of the ground floor windows. Elizabeth looked up at him curiously, and he smiled, drawing her closer. 'May I kiss you once more, Elizabeth? Before we are forced to maintain _some_ semblance of propriety.'

She giggled, and instead of answering, slipped her gloved fingers into his dark curls and drew him down to her mouth. He stiffened in surprise, and she grinned against his lips. Then his hand found the small of her back, drawing her up and into him. She sighed softly against him as his fingers delved into her chestnut curls, dislodging the small honeysuckle bloom he had tucked behind her ear earlier.

He drew away after a moment with a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he perceived the disappointment in her eyes. He held her to him in a gentle embrace and she sighed contentedly.

'You, Miss Elizabeth, are a minx,' he said affectionately.

She laughed, and slipped her hand into his, only dropping it when they entered the house. She followed Darcy to the breakfast parlour, where they found the rest of their party happily eating an early Christmas breakfast. As Darcy had expected, the children were all wide-eyed with excitement and were currently bouncing impatiently next to Jane and Mrs Gardiner, urging them to finish their meal.

'Well, if it isn't the man himself!' Colonel Fitzwilliam said, looking between Darcy and Elizabeth with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Everyone looked around and there was a chorus of 'Happy Christmases'. Elizabeth smiled and took a seat next to Jane, helping herself to a pastry.

'So, where did the pair of you get off to?' the Colonel asked. It was clear to Elizabeth that he would not stop teasing Darcy until he admitted they were now engaged. A happy glow filled her and she glanced at Darcy. He smiled briefly at her before replying, 'I gave Elizabeth a tour of the grounds this morning.'

'Unchaperoned?' Mr Gardiner interjected, looking sternly at Elizabeth. She flushed.

'Uncle –'

'Do not berate your niece, Mr Gardiner. The fault was all mine,' Darcy said quickly.

'I do not believe I was excluding you from the blame, Mr Darcy,' Mr Gardiner replied, although there was now a twinkle in his eye.

Darcy looked abashed.

'In fact, I believe congratulations are in order?'

'Congratulations?' Elizabeth said blankly.

'Come, dear niece,' Mr Gardiner said fondly. 'Surely you do not think us all obtuse?'

She flushed deeply. To her surprise, Darcy chuckled, and rose from his seat. 'Very well, sir. I asked Miss Elizabeth to marry me this morning, and she has done me the great honour of accepting my hand.'

At once, Elizabeth was engulfed in Jane's arms. 'Oh, Lizzy! Oh, I am so happy! Did I not say he liked you exceedingly?'

'Jane!' Elizabeth said, embarrassed. She met Darcy's eye over Jane's shoulder, and was surprised to find him smiling widely.

Darcy was currently shaking the hand of Mr Gardiner and being overcome by a tearful Georgiana, who was so relieved that his bride was to be the gentle, impertinent Elizabeth, rather than a snobby, unkind lady from the Ton.

'Georgiana!' he said affectionately. 'I would never put you through such a trial. Why, I thought you knew I had much better taste than that!'

'I would say excellent taste, Darcy,' said Colonel Fitzwilliam with a grin. 'She is a lovely woman.'

Darcy scowled. 'Shall we open our presents?' he said abruptly, causing the Colonel to guffaw at his change of subject. Emma, Edward, and Margaret immediately jumped up with glee.

'Yes! Presents!'

'You have done it now, Mr Darcy,' said Mrs Gardiner ruefully. 'There will be no calming them until they have opened every single one!'

'Then let us make haste,' he said with a smile, offering Elizabeth his arm. She took it happily, and they led the others into the sitting room.

They all took it in turns to open their presents. Elizabeth received a new set of embroidered handkerchiefs from Jane, some simple jewellery from the Gardiners, a messily done drawing from all three of her cousins, and a set of pristine new books and a beautiful ornate silver hand mirror from Mr Darcy. She hugged each of them in turn, hesitating in front of Darcy, unsure if it was proper to hug one's betrothed in front of both their families. In the end, Colonel Fitzwilliam solved her dilemma for her, practically pushing her into Darcy's arms. She blushed profusely, but whispered a heartfelt 'thank you' against his shoulder.

He took her hand and kissed it, murmuring his own thank you against her skin. Not knowing what to get him while she was unsure of his affections, she had given him her best pen and a new silk cravat she had managed to coerce her uncle to part with from his trading business. She was glad to see he looked pleased with her presents, his eyes soft as they parted.

At last, all the presents had been opened apart from the largest one, perched in the corner. With the Colonel's help, Darcy managed to carry it across the room and set it in front of Edward, Emma, and Margaret.

'For us?' Emma said in a hushed little tone.

'Yes,' Darcy agreed.

The three children's eyes lit up and they all tore the wrappings off impatiently. They fell away to reveal a glossy wooden dollhouse, reminiscent of several of the townhouses in London. They squealed in delight and Margaret pulled open the two doors that made the front of the house, gasping excitedly as they saw each room furnished with little sofas and chairs and four-poster beds. There was even a fully equipped miniature kitchen.

'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' Margaret squealed, throwing herself at Mr Darcy, quickly followed by Emma and Edward. He staggered slightly, his arms full of three excited children, but hugged them all tightly, placing affectionate kisses on the tops of their heads.

Elizabeth found her eyes full of tears as she watched this affecting scene. She could now imagine Darcy with their own children, loving and cherishing them just as much as the Gardiners. He would be a wonderful father.

After the excitement of the dollhouse died down and the children had finished showing off all the rooms to the rest of the party, they settled down for a scrumptious tea of crumpets and trifle. As everyone began to tuck in, Elizabeth felt a strong hand slip into hers.

'Come with me,' he whispered, and she glanced around at the rest of the gathering. They were all absorbed in their own doings, and she tiptoed out of the room behind Darcy, her hand still within his.

Giggling like schoolchildren when they were out of earshot, she twined her fingers with his as he led her down a series of hallways. He stopped outside two large oakwood doors, and let go of her hand to push them open. Elizabeth gasped.

She was standing on the threshold of the library, and it was magnificent, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books. So many that one could never read them all! There were little alcoves in front of the tall, arching windows, with comfy-looking chairs to sit down and read.

'Fitzwilliam, it is beautiful!' she exclaimed, turning in a circle to examine the room more fully.

When she had looked her fill, she met his gaze and beamed. He chuckled, and said, 'I fully expect we shall be spending many an afternoon here as husband and wife.'

She blushed, still not quite used to the idea of being engaged to him, but nodded eagerly. He hesitated before handing her a small wrapped box. She took it curiously.

'I did not want to give it to you in front of the others,' he explained.

She unwrapped it carefully, and opened the box to find a sliver ring with a large sapphire set in the centre. 'Fitzwilliam!' she gasped.

'It was my mother's,' he said, approaching her and taking the ring out of the box. He took her left hand and slid it onto her ring finger.

'It is beautiful,' she whispered, running her finger over the sapphire. She swallowed, hoping that wherever she was, Mrs Darcy thought her worthy of her son.

As though sensing her thoughts, Darcy said, 'She would have loved you.'

Elizabeth gave a choked laugh. 'It is too much, Fitzwilliam.'

He frowned. 'It is hardly enough, Elizabeth. I intend to spoil you, and any children we may have, quite thoroughly.'

She half-smiled. 'That is kind, but I do not wish –'

'I know, my darling,' he said softly. 'And _that_ is partly why I love you.' He lifted her hand to his lips. 'I would not be happy if you wore any other ring than my mother's. Besides, it shall prove to Miss Bingley once and for all that myself and Pemberley were never within her grasp!'

'Mr Darcy!' Elizabeth exclaimed in mock-admonishment. She laughed. 'No doubt she will think I have stolen it.'

'I rather think it is _she_ who does the stealing,' he said frankly. 'Last summer Bingley caught her making off with my mother's finest teapot!'

Elizabeth burst into giggles. 'Oh, she did not! But what did she mean to do with it?'

Darcy shrugged. 'Sell it, use it, keep it in her room and stare longingly at it, I do not know. Nor do I care.'

Elizabeth shook her head, amused.

He rubbed his thumb affectionately back and forth across her cheekbone. 'You must stay by my side at all costs later this week,' he informed her.

She arched her brows. 'Why?'

'I do not wish to be left alone with her for one minute.'

Elizabeth snorted. 'For heaven's sake, Fitzwilliam, she is hardly going to accost you.'

'You doubt her level of desperation now that I have invited you and your family here,' he said ruefully. 'And once she learns of our engagement, well, I fear for all my precious ornaments and vases.'

'Fitzwilliam!' she burst out, shocked.

'I have known her for years, my love, and I do not underestimate her.'

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, blissfully unaware of the storm that was brewing.

* * *

 **Next chapter: It's panto season, and the Ugly Sisters are coming to Pemberley …**


	20. A Second Engagement

**I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. Thank you for being so patient with me! I'm so glad most of you are enjoying my story, and I hope to get more up for you soon, although you will all know by now how much I cannot stick to deadlines!**

 **Here's a pretty long chapter to tide you over for a bit!**

December 27th

The Bingleys and the Hursts arrived a couple of days after Christmas, along with a fresh wave of snow. Caroline's complaints could be heard long before they arrived in the parlour. '… Pemberley does look so pretty in the winter, but this infernal snow is too cold and does interfere with travelling so! Why, I was quite …'

'Mr Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Mr and Mrs Hurst,' announced the butler, and the whole party rose to greet them.

Elizabeth was delighted to see Bingley's eyes go straight to Jane, who blushed lightly. She turned her attention to Caroline, who was wrinkling her nose at the sight of the Gardiner children while also trying to make herself appear pleasing to Mr Darcy. The effect was really quite amusing.

'Take our luggage to the Blue Rooms,' Caroline ordered the nearest footman.

'Begging your pardon, miss, but those rooms are for close friends and family only, and in any case, they are already occupied.'

'What?! By whom? As you have said, the Blue Rooms are for close friends of the Darcy family!'

'The Gardiners, miss. Your rooms are located in the Guest Wing, as usual.'

Caroline looked outraged. 'Surely, there is some mistake! We are very special friends of Mr Darcy's. These people –' She sniffed. '– are of no consequence!'

Elizabeth flushed, angry on her aunt and uncle's behalf. Bingley, managing to tear his attention away from Jane for a few moments, caught the tail end of this conversation, and looked thoroughly embarrassed.

'Come, Caroline. What were you thinking? We have always stayed in the Guest Wing.'

'But we were given to suppose that this was to be a special year,' whined Caroline.

'It _is_ to be a special year,' the Colonel whispered under his breath. 'But not for you!'

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggle.

Caroline was not finished however. 'Charles, how can you allow these – these _savages_ to take precedence over us!'

'That is enough, Caroline,' Charles said, his voice unusually firm. 'Darcy has been generous enough to extend an invitation to us, although he already has guests engaged for the season. I am sure you do not want to offend him, or his guests?'

'Certainly not,' said Caroline, subsiding for the moment. Then she caught sight of Georgiana, who was sitting beside Elizabeth, and promptly exclaimed, 'Dearest Georgiana! How we have missed you! You simply must tell us what you have been up to since last summer!'

Georgiana paled, and Elizabeth, realising the source of her distress, took her hand and squeezed it. Georgiana gave her a grateful smile and managed to stutter, 'I d-do not b-believe I have given you l-leave to address me as Georgiana.'

'Oh, forgive me,' said Caroline, with a high, false laugh. 'It is only that I am so excited to see you. But we are friends, are we not?'

Georgiana glanced helplessly at Elizabeth, who smiled encouragingly at her young friend. Georgiana took a deep breath and said, 'Will you not play for us, Miss Bingley? We have been longing for some music.'

'Surely, with your proficiency, you can keep the entire party entertained? But I do understand that you must be quite bereft of other performers, as Miss Bennet's talents are quite mediocre. So of course, I shall oblige,' said Caroline smugly, sashaying over to the pianoforte as Georgiana reddened in mortification.

'You must not take her comments to heart, Elizabeth,' she whispered.

'Oh, I shall not,' said Elizabeth with a chuckle. 'I have endured much worse from the lady, I assure you! But will you not play for us? Everyone tells me you are exceedingly wonderful.'

'Oh, I could not!' gasped Georgiana. 'I have never played to so many people before.'

Elizabeth smiled fondly. 'Well, I shall not force you. But you must not fear their censure or disapproval. I am certain everyone would enjoy any performance you gave. Even Miss Bingley, for she is determined to suck up to your brother!'

Georgiana giggled despite herself. 'Well – perhaps I would if we were to play a duet. I long to hear you play as well, for brother has said there is nothing he enjoys more.'

Elizabeth blushed deeply, but said, 'Your brother has done you and I a great injustice, for I am not as good as all that.'

'Oh, but brother is always completely honest! He said you were very pretty, and that is also correct.'

Elizabeth's blush deepened, but she said merrily, 'Well, now we know he is embellishing! For Jane is far prettier than I.'

'But brother does not think so,' said Georgiana, smirking.

Elizabeth pressed cool hands to her flushed cheeks. 'I beg you to desist, Georgiana!'

Before Georgiana could reply, Caroline finished playing and said in outrage, 'Why, Miss Eliza! Do not address Miss Darcy in such a familiar manner when you do not have permission!'

'It seems you are misinformed on both counts, Miss Bingley,' said Elizabeth in amusement. 'My name is Miss _Elizabeth_ , and Miss Darcy has in fact given me permission to address her by her maiden name.'

Caroline's eyes bugged, but before she could make a scathing remark, Darcy stood up hastily. 'Shall we go into supper?'

Everyone agreed promptly to this suggestion, and Darcy offered his arms to both Georgiana and Elizabeth before Caroline could stake a claim. Elizabeth giggled and squeezed his arm comfortingly as he escorted them into supper. He smiled softly at her, and her stomach fluttered.

'Brother, Elizabeth and I are considering a duet after supper. What do you think?' asked Georgiana.

'I look forward to it exceedingly,' he replied, not taking his eyes off Elizabeth.

Georgiana stifled a giggle. 'You should be more careful, brother, or a certain lady shall notice your attentions to a woman other than herself.'

Darcy scowled. 'I shall look at my fiancée whenever I wish, regardless of anyone else.'

Elizabeth blushed, and he grinned suddenly.

'Although, I should not wish for your discomfort, Elizabeth, and I fear Miss Bingley shall make your life a misery once she finds out.'

'Will you not announce it at supper, brother?'

Darcy shook his head. 'I am rather enjoying her indifference, for it means we shall have _some_ peace. And in any case I am hoping to announce it to our other guests along with news of another engagement.'

Elizabeth's eyes shone at this, for she knew he could only mean Jane and Bingley. 'Oh, Fitzwilliam, do you really think he will propose soon?'

'I think there is no doubt of it,' said Darcy, smiling down at her as she flushed happily.

* * *

At supper, Caroline was torn between ensuring her brother did not spend all of his time conversing with Jane (trying in vain to direct his attentions towards Georgiana) and ensuring that Elizabeth did not monopolise most of Mr Darcy's attention. In the end, she compromised by ordering Louisa to converse with their brother and Jane, while she herself interrupted the newly (although she did not know it yet) engaged couple with a simpering smile.

'Mr Darcy was most kind in offering your family an invitation to Pemberley, Miss Eliza,' she began.

'Indeed, he was,' agreed Elizabeth, smiling at her betrothed.

'Of course, you must take advantage of it while you can. I am sure the next Mrs Darcy would not want such people in her home. Why, it is unthinkable! Those in Trade are of no consequence to those of Mr Darcy's sphere, you see.'

Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from laughing. 'You are quite right, Miss Bingley. I am sure the next Mrs Darcy will be of high understanding.'

Caroline was satisfied, but Elizabeth could not help herself from adding, 'Yet, I wonder at your condemnation of those in Trade. For is not your fortune from such pursuits? Then, by your reasoning, you have no reason to hope for an invitation from the next Mrs Darcy either.'

Caroline flushed, and glared as Darcy chuckled quietly.

'I have travelled in much higher circles than you, Miss Eliza, and have much more to recommend myself to such people,' she retorted. 'As though the next Mrs Darcy would condescend to even _acknowledge_ your vulgar family!'

Elizabeth opened her mouth to retort, infuriated, but Darcy got there first, his voice cold.

'I would thank you not to speak ill of my guests, Miss Bingley, whether it be within my hearing or not. Mr Gardiner is a particular friend of mine, and I shall not have you insult him or any of his relations.'

Caroline gaped. 'But Mr Darcy – such a man! How could you even consider –'

'You must be thankful that I do not harbour such prejudices, otherwise I should not have such a close relationship with your own brother.' Caroline visibly deflated, and Darcy finished, 'If a man is worth knowing, it is not due to his station in life. I know many lords whom I would not wish to have a closer acquaintance with.'

'Of course, you are right, Mr Darcy,' said Caroline meekly. 'It was foolish of me to suggest otherwise.'

Elizabeth choked on a laugh as she met Georgiana's wide, disbelieving eyes across the table.

* * *

After supper, the men elected to forgo a separation of the sexes, and instead followed the ladies into the sitting room, whereupon Georgiana and Elizabeth were immediately pressed to perform their duet. Elizabeth took Georgiana's hand again, as they were visibly trembling, and soothed her.

'Do not worry, Georgiana. I shall not make you sing, and once they hear my awful voice they shall not even notice if you make a wrong note.'

'Elizabeth!' said Georgiana, shocked. 'Why, my brother says your voice is very pleasant.'

'Well, then. Your _brother_ shall not notice if you make a wrong note, if he can praise my singing so extravagantly!'

Georgiana smiled hesitantly. 'It would please him so to see us duet,' she said quietly after a moment, glancing at him. 'I know he worries about me. I have long wished for a sister.'

'Well, you may come to see that the saying "Be careful what you wish for" is true! For you will not gain one sister, but five!'

Georgiana giggled, and sat down at the pianoforte without further persuasion. Elizabeth glanced at Mr Darcy. He was seated next to her uncle, but was gazing at the pair of them, smiling indulgently, his eyes soft.

Georgiana began playing a sweet melody, and Elizabeth was so caught by the beautiful music and Mr Darcy's stares, that she almost forgot to begin singing, until a sharp elbow from Georgiana reminded her otherwise. She heard a muffled snort from the vicinity of the Colonel, and flushing, began to sing.

Her sweet voice enraptured her betrothed, and he could not take his eyes off her, even with Caroline's attempts to do so. Likewise, she could not remove her eyes from his, even though she was blushing and knew that her affection must be blatantly obvious to the rest of the party.

Darcy contented himself with the fact that once they were married, they could enjoy many evenings thus, without the constant droning of Caroline in his ear. It was quite disturbing his enjoyment of the performance, as he could hardly hear it, but even so, his sister and his betrothed made a very pleasant picture, and his heart felt fit to burst. Firmly convinced now that he had made the right choice to marry for love instead of fortune and connections, he blocked Caroline's nasally voice from his mind and continued to gaze happily at Elizabeth.

* * *

Over the next few days, as Elizabeth and Darcy both rose far earlier than any of the rest of their party, they spent several pleasant hours before breakfast rambling in the grounds. They were both eager for their sister and friend to find equal happiness, and plotted several ways to leave them alone together for a few moments. To Elizabeth's delight, Bingley preferred Jane's company above all else, sitting beside her at meals, escorting her outside to view the snow-covered grounds, and at other times simply sitting quietly beside her and watching her occupy herself with her needlework. Sometimes Elizabeth felt as though she was intruding on an already married couple, so homely was their appearance.

Caroline was becoming quite distraught, for not only were her efforts to stop her brother making an alliance with the Bennets becoming more and more fruitless by the day, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy also seemed to disappear for long periods, occasionally stealing Georgiana away with them, and she was powerless to stop it. She was therefore left in the company of her sister, the Gardiners, and Colonel Fitzwilliam, which did not please her in the slightest. She despised the Gardiners, and Colonel Fitzwilliam, being the second son (even if his father _was_ an Earl), was of no use to her at all.

It was the day before New Year's Eve that Mr Bingley finally decided to ask for Jane Bennet's hand in matrimony, and consequentially, Caroline neared bursting point.

The Gardiners had retired to bed with their children, leaving the young adults together in the sitting room enjoying various pursuits, when Bingley broke the relative quiet that had settled over the group.

'Miss Bennet, might I speak with you in private for a moment?'

Jane went red, and Elizabeth worked hard to hide a grin, squeezing Mr Darcy's arm in delight. He smiled down at her indulgently.

'Of course, Mr Bingley.'

Bingley looked noticeably relieved at her acceptance, but Caroline frowned. 'Oh, but Charles –'

'We shall be but a moment, dear sister,' Bingley said softly, but firmly. Elizabeth was surprised, but extremely glad that it did not seem as though Bingley would let his scheming sisters meddle with his affairs.

Caroline scowled deeply and watched with beady eyes as Jane followed Bingley out onto the balcony. Keen to give them some privacy, Elizabeth turned to Georgiana and the Colonel and struck up a conversation, but was soon distracted by Caroline, who had jumped to her feet, looking outraged. Elizabeth looked around and saw Bingley on one knee before Jane. She beamed.

'Kindly remain seated, Miss Bingley,' said Darcy coldly, before she could run over and interrupt.

Caroline sat back on the sofa reluctantly. 'But Mr Darcy – how can you simply sit there and let Charles enter such an unsuitable match! The lady is pleasing, I grant you, but her relations are most unseemly! I demand you do something!'

Elizabeth bristled, and Darcy responded cuttingly, 'It is my understanding that Miss Bennet is a gentlewoman. Therefore, Bingley is advancing his sphere and making an advantageous match. I also observe mutual affection, and see no reason to intervene.'

Caroline flushed, but replied, 'Mutual affection! What does that have to do with anything? An advantageous marriage is beneficial to every party.'

By "every party", Elizabeth gathered Caroline meant herself.

'I see we have differing opinions on the subject of marriage,' said Darcy.

Caroline laughed. 'Come, Mr Darcy! You do not truly expect me to believe that _you_ intend to marry for affection!'

'I am sorry you feel that way,' said Darcy, looking suddenly amused. Elizabeth flushed slightly.

'Whatever can you mean?' asked Caroline, batting her eyelashes.

Elizabeth stifled a giggle, and Darcy replied, 'Why, only that I _do_ intend to marry for affection, Miss Bingley.'

Miss Bingley smiled suddenly. 'Oh, well – in that case! Do you have your heart set on a lady, sir?' she asked eagerly.

'Why yes, now that you mention it.' Elizabeth's eyes widened, not having expected Darcy to announce it so suddenly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Colonel Fitzwilliam press his fist into his mouth, as though desperately trying to stave off laughter.

'Pray tell!'

'A gentleman never discloses his affections but to the lady of his heart. However, I quite see that your curiosity must be satisfied.' He paused, and Elizabeth, while alarmed, tried to squash the laughter bubbling up inside her. 'I am in fact engaged to Miss Elizabeth.'

' _What_?!' Caroline's outraged shriek reached the other pair of lovers, and they turned, startled.

* * *

During all of the pandemonium going on inside the house, Jane and Bingley had managed to come to an understanding.

Jane had followed Mr Bingley out onto the balcony, blushing and nervous.

'Darcy tells me that he is to marry Miss Elizabeth,' said Bingley as they drew to a stop by the stone balustrade.

'Yes, he is. They seem very happy.'

'Yes,' Bingley said distractedly. After a moment, he blurted out, 'It gave me hope.'

Jane's heart leapt. 'Hope?'

'That I – that we – Darcy and I are great friends, as you know.'

'Yes.' Jane nodded.

'I should not like to do anything that may lose his friendship, but now I see quite clearly that I may lose it, not by declaring myself, but if I do not have the courage …'

Jane blushed deeply, and this seemed to encourage him, for his cheerful smile appeared suddenly and he dropped to one knee.

'Oh!' exclaimed Jane, quite overwhelmed.

Bingley took her hands. 'Dearest Jane. You are a delight, an angel – I believe I have loved you from that very first dance at Meryton. I wish to be with you always. Will you make me the happiest man in England and do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?'

Jane did not know whether to laugh happily or cry, so she instead did both. 'Yes. Oh, yes!'

Bingley let out a delighted laugh, and rose, pressing her hand to his lips. 'Oh, Jane.'

An outraged shriek greeted their ears, and they turned to discover Caroline glowering at Elizabeth, red with rage.

'I believe my sister may have discovered the news of my friend's engagement,' said Bingley regretfully.

'Oh dear,' said Jane worriedly. She did so hate quarrels. 'Was there a great attachment on her part?'

Bingley looked uncomfortable. 'I have never been certain … but I rather believe she has a greater attachment to Pemberley than Darcy.'

'Charles!' exclaimed Jane. 'Why, that is the rudest thing I have ever heard you say!'

'Nevertheless, I am afraid it is true.' Then – 'What did you call me, Jane?'

She blushed. 'Did you not like it? It is only because you have been calling me Jane so sweetly –'

'I liked it very much,' he said earnestly.

She smiled happily.

They returned to the others, and the news of yet another engagement that she neither wanted or approved of was too much for Caroline. She departed for bed in high dudgeon, followed by Louisa, trying desperately to assuage her.

Darcy congratulated Bingley heartily.

'To think – we shall be brothers, Darcy! Had you said so last year I would have laughed you out of the room!'

Darcy chuckled, and Elizabeth hugged Jane tightly.

'Oh, I am so happy,' sighed Jane. 'I daresay I have never been happier, especially as you are so content as well, Lizzy!'

'Yes, and we shall see each other often, I think,' Elizabeth said, glancing fondly at their beloveds.

* * *

Upstairs, Caroline was fuming to herself, and in her rage, began plotting how to separate the two new couples.


End file.
